Veterans Affairs committee  I'll have to look into this in further detail, but if I understand your question, you're saying that he was released in 1997 and he didn't start his pharmacy program until 2009.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. Darragh, I guess you'd like to take a....

Veterans Affairs committee  It is.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's a very good point, sir, and Darragh may want to talk a bit about this. We offer psycho-social, medical, and vocational rehab as part of the Veterans Charter. We don't force anyone into vocational rehab if they're not ready for it. If the diagnosis is that they have a psychological trauma they have to overcome, they're into treatment for that, and while they're in that rehab, the earnings loss payments kick in.

Veterans Affairs committee  There's quite a lot of additional assistance, if required. In a sense the charter has moved to a model of independence. It is an attempt to have people transition from military life and become independent contributing citizens of Canada not requiring support in the future to actually achieve that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, there's a different culture among the newer veterans. They are quite demanding in the information they need from us. I guess the Internet is pervasive and everybody is used to getting lots of information, so it's changing. We're exploring ways to better meet those needs through proper and upgraded technologies.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are currently six veterans organizations that interact regularly with us. Three of them were founded around the traditional veterans' cause. Three additional ones have been founded around support to CF veterans. I can't comment on how veterans feel about those organizations.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for that question, because it's such an important issue for us. So many individuals who are injured are injured with operational stress injuries, and those don't go away overnight. Basically what we have in place.... I won't talk about DND's process; they have excellent services while they are in service.

Veterans Affairs committee  One of the biggest tools is the program evaluation that's coming forward. It will be the most comprehensive review of the charter, in terms of a formal evaluation in the three phases we talked about. Even before the launching of the evaluation, we've had feedback mechanisms that have been in place.

Veterans Affairs committee  Perhaps Darragh will mention the composition of the special needs advisory group.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much for your comments and your kind words about the charter and the concerns you've raised. Before we close, I would like Darragh to talk a bit about the British payment, because we've done a comprehensive analysis of it with an apples-to-apples comparison with our charter, which might be helpful to the committee.

Veterans Affairs committee  Your point on sensitivity training is well taken. We haven't encountered that problem, but I can understand your concern that it could be a factor, that people might be saying what you mentioned. To be honest, I haven't heard anywhere else that it's an issue, but we are working with DND very closely, so I will follow up on your remarks to see if it's something of concern.

Veterans Affairs committee  Could you do that, sir? That would be very helpful. Secondly, with respect to Sainte-Anne's, there's one clarification to make: we are not considering privatizing Sainte-Anne's, if that's the terminology used.

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay just to clarify. Thirdly, in terms of the need for long-term-care beds, our indication is that Canada has a lot of capacity in this area, which veterans are accessing, and we see utilizing the Canadian social safety network with the kinds of programs we have. Darragh, perhaps you could elaborate on that point and then talk a bit about the British experience.

Veterans Affairs committee  Darragh will answer.