Canada's new veterans' ombudsman says he will return to a more traditional definition of the role, after his predecessor drifted into "advocate" territory.
Retired chief warrant officer Guy Parent begins his new job today, replacing retired colonel Pat Stogran.
Parent, the former head of investigations for the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, told CTV's Canada AM he will not be afraid to stand up against the government when necessary. But he will come armed with facts and recommendations.
In the last few months of his term, Parent's predecessor became a vocal critic of the government, claiming Ottawa had turned its back on Canada's vets.
"I think Mr. Stogran in the last few months has gone away from the traditional ombuds role to become more of an advocate, which will be of very great value to us now for the future," Parent said.
"But we need to go back now to an approach that is actually constructive and based on facts so we can approach the department and make recommendations that will accomplish something in the end."
One of Stogran's key points of contention with the government was the decision to replace pension payments for injured soldiers with a lump sum payout of $276,000. But he also focused on the lack of recognition and treatment for post traumatic stress disorder and the contentious New Veterans Charter.
Parent said he will continue to tackle those key issues and fulfill the mandate of acting as an intermediary between veterans and the government and agencies available to assist them.
"I think the big priority right now is that all these issues that have surfaced in the media in the last few months be made buoyant, to really reconcile and get back to an ombudsman role to actually make sure we take these issues and study them, review them and put some specific recommendations on the table for the department," Parent said.
While Stogran's term ended after three years, the ombudsman's term has now been extended to five years.
Parent said the longer term has advantages in terms of strategic planning and accomplishing goals. But he said it will also allow him to achieve a personal goal of completing 50 years of service to Canada.
He said he intends to put his own stamp on the job but said veterans will always be his top priority.
"I think every organization head has the right to have its own style and my personality, my style won't change just because I'm the ombudsman for veterans," Parent said.
"I believe in the veterans, I believe Canada owes a debt to the veterans and I'm going to ensure it gets repaid at full value."
