Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, as I said in the very last paragraph of my brief, I encourage you not to delay but to expedite this review and take the real action that's needed for our veterans and their families, because the time is now. The need is there now. I ask you, from the bottom of my heart, and the 320,000 members of the Royal Canadian Legion, please look after our veterans and their families.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. At some time I'd like to meet the lady you mentioned from Thunder Bay and thank her personally for looking after that veteran. As I mentioned earlier, because of the office closures, and Thunder Bay was one of those offices, we're reaching out to our branches to ask them now, until such time as the government is able to come through with the staff and the right amount of money—if that will ever happen—to make sure that our veterans' needs are looked after.

Veterans Affairs committee  When the Canadian Armed Forces knows that an individual is going to be leaving within a period of time, that is when Veterans Affairs should be brought into the picture. From that point on—let's say he has a physical injury and he's also suffering from PTSD—Veterans Affairs should be involved right through to the very end when that individual is healthy and able to contribute again to society.

Veterans Affairs committee  He's treated the same way?

Veterans Affairs committee  They make sure he's coming back and he's able to.... But once they get him back to Canada, and for instance, he leaves the hospital here in Ottawa and they're sending him home, that's where the ball drops. Of course, he's not treated the same way a regular force member is. If you take a look under Bill C-55, a private, for example, is guaranteed a minimum $40,000 taxable.

Veterans Affairs committee  I have just one thing I'd like to add. I'm not sure if the committee is aware, but out of the 40,000-plus Canadian Armed Forces members who served in Afghanistan, 25% of that total force was reservists from right across the country, coming from small towns and hamlets in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, right across the country.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll let Brad answer that—

Veterans Affairs committee  —because I don't have the answer.

Veterans Affairs committee  At this point, if I remember, going back to that period there were recommendations from the Royal Canadian Legion and other veterans organizations but they were ignored at that time. Veterans Affairs had their own agenda. I will tell you that I went to a couple of the stakeholders' meetings.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, I hope and pray to God that no branch of the Royal Canadian Legion across this country would ever consider that. This organization was built by veterans for veterans. I'm a former serving member myself, but I never left Canada, so I fall under 21(2) of the act. Having stated that, let me say that we of the Royal Canadian Legion and its 1,460 branches across the country will offer our support to all veterans and their families, whether they are aged 23 years or 105 years.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Stoffer, the Royal Canadian Legion's view on the moral obligation is that the government has a moral obligation to look after our veterans and their families, right to their last moments. The government of the day has put them into harm's way, whether it happened 20 years ago or whether it just happened recently with them being in Afghanistan.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Our mission statement for the Royal Canadian Legion mentions all serving members and the RCMP.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, good afternoon. It's a great pleasure to appear in front of your committee this afternoon. I'm pleased to be able to speak to you this afternoon on behalf of more than 320,000 members and their families. The Royal Canadian Legion is well situated to address the impact and the effectiveness of the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act, commonly known as the new Veterans Charter, as well as the Enhanced New Veterans Charter Act, as a result of Bill C-55.

Veterans Affairs committee  The same: we're here to make sure that the veteran is looked after right from the very start, from the very first application that he puts in, right through to the award. We want to make sure that each veteran gets what they deserve. That's the bottom line. Whether it's the Conservative government, Liberal, or NDP, it doesn't matter.