Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I apologize for being late. I was just leaving another committee where veterans and RCMP personnel were talking about health benefits.
First of all, I want to offer our sincere condolences on the loss of a soldier in Edmonton yesterday, who succumbed to his injuries. It is never a good day in Canada when you lose one of your heroes. I offer my condolences to all who wear the uniform.
Sir, my first question is on the SISIP. I know you can't comment on the Supreme Court case, but I just want to remind you and this committee that it was this committee, the Senate committee, and two DND ombudsmen, plus the House vote in Parliament, that said to fix this problem and get it resolved. Unfortunately, these veterans have had to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to acknowledge that. I know you can't comment on it. But I just find it rather disturbing that these men and women who served our country have to go to the courts, after Parliament and various committees of Parliament and the Senate recommended--not unanimously, but they recommended--in most cases, getting this thing fixed. I find it quite sad.
That is not my question for you. You mentioned the reductions. Call me crazy, but I have met a tremendous number of disabled RCMP veterans and military personnel who were not forced out of the service but were medically released out of the service. They require all kinds of things, from physiotherapy to psychological training to prescription drugs, and so on, for them and their families. This is when they need those additional funds the most, yet we take them back.
Those are government regulations, not necessarily yours, but I find it rather disturbing that we would take money back from them when they need it most. They are getting this amount of money from over here, but now they are getting that, so this has to go back over here. It is as frustrating as hell for them when they have to do this.
What is even more frustrating is that at age 65, a lot of that stops. They go on reduced CPP, and they lose even more money, and that's when they need the additional funds the most.
I would like your comment on that. What would you recommend? I realize there is a cost to this, but at the end of the day, the men and women who wear the uniform and the military RCMP have unlimited liability. We, as parliamentarians, have the ultimate responsibility of meeting their needs all the way to and including the headstone. Wouldn't you agree?