He noted the ceremony to honour military personnel and DND staff had been held annually for two decades. “That was a travesty,” Walbourne said of the delays, adding that approval for the ceremony was received only at the last minute. That ceremony, which was to involve around 100 individuals, also included paying for some of the military personnel to fly to Ottawa so they could receive their awards.
It took three attempts to get Thomas to approve an expense of $22,943 so Walbourne could hold an awards ceremony and luncheon in 2018 to honour Canadian Forces members and civilian employees who helped their colleagues. The documents show that, in one case, it took four attempts to convince Department of National Defence Deputy Minister Jody Thomas to approve a $620 request so Walbourne and one staff member could fly to Halifax to meet with members of the Canadian Forces as part of an investigation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Walbourne brought in tough new financial oversight and rules, but the DND declined to return authority to have him authorize his own travel and other expenses. Sources say having the financial control of approving where the ombudsman can travel and what meetings and conferences he can hold gives DND and military leaders leverage over the office’s activities.ĭND took away the financial authority for the ombudsman’s office in May 2015 after the Auditor General produced a report criticizing the spending of former ombudsman Pierre Daigle. “As this is part of an ongoing discussion, there is no set timeframe for full financial authorities to be restored” to the ombudsman’s office, DND spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier said. 2, Lick sent Defence Minister Anita Anand an outline to provide his office with independence and to allow him control over his spending on travel and other items.
The current ombudsman, Gregory Lick, has also warned his office is facing similar interference from defence officials. The records, released under the Access to Information law, provide a rare glimpse into the roadblocks that military and department officials put in the way as then ombudsman Gary Walbourne tried to help soldiers and their families.
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