National Defence committee  If there's no clinician interested in taking the public service position, then the third-party contracting is a backup, It's an available option for us. If a psychiatrist does not want to take a public service position and if we have no applicants for the position, but that same psychiatrist is interested in coming in through contracted services, that's our backup option to ensure that we have a care provider there to look after the members.

National Defence committee  No, they can apply. You could be a new graduate out of medical school, having just completed your residency and passed your exams, and you could say that you wanted to be hired as a public servant. You could go through that application process. There's an interview process, you get hired, and you are now a public servant being paid at the rate of public service psychiatry.

National Defence committee  The responsibility of the third-party contractor is to look for those care providers to fill those spots.

National Defence committee  We do that in a variety of different ways: publications, professional journals.... Recently we went to the Canadian Psychiatric Association meetings. The Surgeon General and our senior psychiatrists were there speaking and presenting and talking about options for working in the Canadian Forces, trying to attract people to the Canadian Forces and trying to encourage people to work in the multidisciplinary team we have.

National Defence committee  I should point out that you don't have to meet all five criteria to be selected. We also look at if this is going to be able to improve the member's health, if the therapy is proven to improve health, and even at if we can help the person transition to a different job or even if it helps transition them out of the military, if necessary, but into a productive way of life.

National Defence committee  We do not have any occupational therapists working for us directly. We have physiotherapists, and we contract out occupational therapy as we require it, through Blue Cross. If we feel that there is a requirement for it, we can always go to a civilian occupational therapy clinic.

National Defence committee  No, sir.

National Defence committee  They are. They are master's qualified clinical social workers.

National Defence committee  Absolutely.

National Defence committee  It includes psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, mental health nurses....

National Defence committee  No, I don't. I'm sorry.

National Defence committee  Yes, I can get them for you.

National Defence committee  Those are just the mental health care providers within the mental health care program. We also have our primary care physicians, nurses, medical technicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, who are a part of our primary health care system as well.

National Defence committee  No.

National Defence committee  We have mental health nurses.