Military ombudsman calls on MPs to fix ‘obvious’ conflict

OTTAWA (CP) — The ombudsman for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence says it’s not appropriate that his office is overseen by the same organization it is tasked with overseeing.

Reporting to the federal defence minister, rather than directly to Parliament, creates an obvious conflict of interest, Gregory Lick told the House of Commons defence committee Monday.

Being accountable solely to Parliament would give the office the ability to “escalate issues beyond the minister or the government in power at the time,” he said.

“I can use the media, absolutely. I can talk to all different political parties,” Lick said. “But is that really how ministerial accountability should work? I don’t believe so.”

The ombudsman is independent of the military’s chain of command and is tasked with studying and reporting on the programs and resources provided by the military and the Defence Department. It’s a resource for current and former Armed Forces members, their families, and people who have worked for the department.

Lick told the committee “it makes no sense” that Canada doesn’t have legislated independent military oversight like the rest of its Five Eyes allies.

Such legislation would also ensure the ombud and the office’s staff cannot be compelled to give information to a military board of inquiry or in court, for example.

“I will fight back if I’m asked to do that, and I will fight it in court if I need to, but really that should be protected in legislation to protect the confidentiality of the services we provide to our constituents,” he said.

Lick said the most issue for his office is that the Defence Department has inappropriate oversight of its human resources processes, meaning the office cannot make hiring decisions independently.