Military's Acting Ombudsman Resign's

[Gunner]

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/04/24/1010312-sun.html

Theobalds noted that Marin was not subject to the constraint, adding the rule means if the ombudsman's office receives more than one complaint on a sensitive topic, Graham has to vet it before an investigation is launched.

"What she wants is the full authority of an ombudsman," Theobalds said.

Finlay has resumed her former position as the ombudsman's director general of operations -- leaving the office charged with resolving soldiers' complaints without a boss.

Graham spokeswoman Isabelle Savard said Finlay remains the acting ombudsman in the government's eyes and denied the minister wants to vet any investigations.

Savard said Graham only wishes to view sensitive investigations after Finlay completes them but before they're made public -- a practice started by her predecessor.

The ombudsman's office and federal lawyers are expected to meet shortly to try to settle the feud.

stephanie.rubec@tor.sunpub.com

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Maybe we don't actually need an ombudsman ...

 

[Cloud Cover]

GET RID OF HER!!

She is a career civil servant who will inject so much sissification into the CF that new Cadpat with soft tones of pink and daisy yellow will appear.

 

[tomahawk6]

Why doesnt the CF have a uniformed Inspector General like the US military has ? This would be the best solution. The service IG's have three star rank. So the CF should have a Major General IG.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

So- let me get this straight.  The Ombudsman's office is upset that the duly ELECTED Minister (who is responsible for everything that happens in DND and the CF, including the Ombudsman's office) wants to know when an investigation is underway...

Am I missing something here?  Just who do these Ombudspeople think they are?  They weren't elected to any office.  They WORK for the Minister (and hopefully by extension, the entire Department).  I say if he wants to know about any or all investigations they are doing, he is right to demand it.

ANYBODY in the Ombudsman's Office who can't figure out that they ultimately work for the Minister, probably needs to seek new employment-fast.

 

[bossi]

It's one thing to work in the system, and another to work outside but in parallel ... and then, there's working against the system ...

I like the idea of an Inspector General who has some real teeth, perhaps reporting to the Auditor General in order to maintain some degree of ... whatever (can't think of the right word ... darned malaria medication ... sure will be glad when I can stop taking it ...)

I recently spoke to a former Base Commander who used the Base Auditors as his own "Inspector General" troops - it was quite an effective arrangement - they found efficiencies to be had, and could report them directly to the BComd - saved millions over his tenure (and thus my half-baked idea the Inspector General could report to the Auditor General ... sorta like how the RCMP would report to the Solicitor-General if they were to be tasked to provide policing services to the CF, and AJAG would report to the Attorney-General ... thus avoiding situations whereby "undue influence" might be misperceived ...)

 

[tomahawk6]

Sounds like a good way to go. This is what the US Army IG does.

http://wwwpublic.ignet.army.mil/IG_systems.htm

 

[crazyleggs]

GET RID OF HER!!

She is a career civil servant who will inject so much sissification into the CF that new Cadpat with soft tones of pink and daisy yellow will appear.

Nice.  I was unaware that civil servants' purpose in the CF was "sissification" injection.

I think the main problem the Ombudsman office has with Mr Graham is this:  "Savard said Graham only wishes to view sensitive investigations after Finlay completes them but before they're made public -- a practice started by her predecessor".  In my opinion, they're trying to keep the MND out of the loop. 

An Ombudsman is defined as an independent, impartial adjudicator of complaints about maladministration in government departments.  An Ombudsman should work for us and report to the MND.  It just doesn't work that way right now.

Until you've gone through the CF grievance process and seen first hand how incestuous a system it is, your slurs about the Ombudsman office have no merit.  This office exists to help us, not our employer.