Veterans Affairs committee  I think you got the points made.

Veterans Affairs committee  I was a reservist.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, I did not.

Veterans Affairs committee  It would have been if I had gone through the whole process.

Veterans Affairs committee  I didn't feel that I needed it.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. I'm still going through the process. I'm still in the military. I'm still in the reserves. On my transition out and what I found, I think the most useful thing to talk about is that there was not a moment when I realized that I had to leave the military. It was a longer process.

Veterans Affairs committee  The short answer is yes. Within the military, I felt very well taken care of. Another program that's available and that we've had other veterans take advantage of is that when they're in that two- to five-year window, they can actually go and work for another organization. We've now had five military personnel paid for by DND come to work for our organization in different parts of Canada to get civilian credentials as part of their transition out.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's right.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. The one person I can think of, maintaining confidentiality, was a 21-year-old reservist from my regiment who went overseas to Afghanistan, was injured, came home, and had a knee injury I believe. He was able to have his contract extended. He was going to be paid full time while he was undergoing treatment, but he was required to report to the unit to do paperwork and things like that throughout the week.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. The Veterans Transition Network was filling a gap. The government now pays us $15,000 per veteran. We created a solution. The government saw that as a success. This committee made the recommendations. Within nine months the minister made that announcement. That's one case example.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, and it even perhaps goes to this education piece of $75,000. I have a good friend who's just entered that program. His schooling is being paid for him to go back and get re-trained.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct. He's a corporal and we served in the same platoon in Afghanistan. He was medically released for post-traumatic stress disorder and is in that program. The one piece I would like to bring up, and I actually agree with Mr. Leonardo on this, is that the sooner we can get that education started the better off veterans with be.

Veterans Affairs committee  My colleague did trades training. It paid for more than just his schooling, but his expenses as well.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'd like to thank the chair and this committee for inviting me to present again. . I have been here in the past, and I'm happy to provide an update about the Veterans Transitions Network. This is a network that provides a 10-day program for veterans transitioning out of the military and into the civilian world.