To follow on Tom's comment, I would say we often hear from Veterans Affairs colleagues—and we call them “colleagues” because we've worked closely and cooperatively with them over the years—that we have the Veterans Review and Appeal Board and it can solve all the veterans' claims.
Well, the Canadian Forces have the redress of a grievance procedure. This is a formal legal procedure that has been established for generations.
With the establishment of the Canadian Forces ombudsman, the department didn't fall apart. It seems to be in business, and people still work through the redress of a grievance procedure. But if they're not satisfied, before going to Federal Court they have that different option and can go before the ombudsman.
The other thing is there are some things that the department would like the ombudsman to look at, because there's an interface between the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs.
From talking with my own regimental association, right now I know that if there is a difficulty with our wounded coming back from Afghanistan, it's a grey area between the two departments. It's not the lack of people trying and it's not necessarily the policy. The two departments aren't quite in sync yet.
It's compounded by the new Veterans Charter. The new Veterans Charter was implemented on April 1, and very shortly thereafter we started taking casualties.