I'll start, Mr. Chair.
One of my concerns—and something we always have to look at—is to make sure that we actually deliver on what we commit to.
I'll speak for Veterans Affairs. We have wonderfully dedicated staff who come to work every day to do things for veterans. Our staff just sometimes—what should I say—in the hurry to make things better for veterans, working together, will say, “Let's get the first thing delivered before we get into the second thing, because we may not get anything delivered.” I think it's the goodwill, energy, and anxiousness by the people who are committed to doing this.
Certainly on a broader, more strategic level, I don't have any concerns that we have an open dialogue. It's some of these things that are important for veterans, such as being able to stay with the same provider, but I think that we have to make sure that we don't try to bite off....There are a plethora of things. An example is the electronic health records: it's really important, but it's really important that we get it right, not just get it fast. These are the things that we need to make sure of.
From the standpoint of accountability, I've been around government many years and on many cases. I would argue that our accountability is some of the toughest. If you're a director general and you have to stand up in front of a committee of generals and assistant deputy ministers and explain where you are or where you are not, that's a pretty tough accountability. I've been around a lot of places, and that's a pretty tough accountability.