OTTAWA, March 30, 2005 -- Mr. André Marin, in his final public appearance as DND/CF Ombudsman, called for a complete overhaul of the way soldiers' complaints are handled by the Canadian Forces. Referring to his imminent departure from the post of military ombudsman and the vacant chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC), Mr. Marin said "It's time to introduce one-stop shopping: the government should use this window of opportunity to overhaul the military complaints system by tabling legislation that integrates military police dispute settlement and veterans' complaints within the Ombudsman's mandate." Mr. Marin presented his final report entitled Overhauling Oversight this morning at the National Press Club in Ottawa. Using the knowledge gained from his experience as the military ombudsman over the past seven years, the report outlines how civilian oversight should be streamlined in order to make it more effective and efficient. "Where a matter can be resolved informally through the intercession of an ombudsman, it should be encouraged," Mr. Marin said. He explained that the current system is comprised of an inefficient patchwork of agencies that mystifies soldiers. For example, the Military Police Complaints Commission only reviewed 21 complaints between 2000 and 2003. By comparison, the Ombudsman dealt with an average of 1,300 complaints per year. "Obviously, there is no need for a separate complaint regime for military police when matters can be handled more effectively and less expensively by an ombudsman's office," Mr. Marin pointed out. Another area that needs to be addressed is the situation faced by Canada's veterans. "It is a sad plight that as soon as our military members resign from active duty, they cannot seek assistance from the Ombudsman's Office, but are instead treated like second-class citizens. In the interests of fairness, veterans' issues should be referable to the same ombudsman's office as the rest of the defence community," Mr. Marin stated. "There is a need to rationalize the dispute settlement agencies of the Canadian Forces," he added, referring to his suggestion that in the interest of timeliness, the Office of the Ombudsman should have access to information collected during the formal grievance process instead of being consulted at the end. "Giving the Office the authority to conduct process reviews at every stage of the grievance process should be re-affirmed and entrenched in legislation," he said. Overhauling Oversight is posted online at www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca . - 30 - For further information: Barbara Theobalds Director Communications and Media Relations Office the Ombudsman, DND/CF (613) 992-6962 Bronwyn Cruden A/Communications Project Manager Office of the Ombudsman, DND/CF (613) 995-2386
