Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, that's true.

Veterans Affairs committee  No. I think it's very important that, at the individual level, there is no reduction in any benefit or service for veterans, at this point.

Veterans Affairs committee  Certainly there are individual choices, but I think that all of us who have kids know they text each other and that shopping is not about going to the store but about going online. When you look at the transformation agenda we have, while it's important to make things easier for veterans today, it's laying a foundation for the future.

Veterans Affairs committee  Their average age is 88, yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I was referring to there not being the $220 million cuts that others have referred to. That's a separate issue. That's why I'm saying it's very important that you fence that in. Then there's the issue of the transformation that I referred to, and then there's the deficit reduction, for which my colleague has indicated that we've done our work like all departments.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, let me be very clear on this. The medium or channel by which a veteran deals with us will be the choice of the veteran. We will make the offering on the Internet. People will still be able to talk to a case manager. They will still be able to talk to a service agent. In fact, this year we've just invested in some state-of-the art technology that allows us to have next-available-agent point of service anywhere in Canada.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think we need to go back--

Veterans Affairs committee  I confirm that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. We're seeing a constant uptake in Canadian Forces, as we've indicated, of about 24%. That is an estimate based on the best information we have, working with our colleagues at DND and the Canadian Forces. As I mentioned, in some cases we're seeing lower mortality among war-era veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. The process we're using is actually a generally accepted business re-engineering model that has been well tested in North America. At the end of the day, it's about making it easier for a veteran to get the services and benefits he or she needs and trying to create what I would call a hassle-free environment for people to get the needed services and benefits, through the channel he or she chooses, whether online, at our office, over the telephone, or through the Internet.

Veterans Affairs committee  I guess I can start and James can jump in. First of all, I won't comment on the budget of the ombudsman, because that's a separate entity. I think any comments regarding his budget should be directed towards the ombudsman.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would characterize the relationship with the ombudsman as positive. While the ombudsman may have different views or different opinions, at the end of the day, we're all there for veterans. The ombudsman is there to do the best he can for veterans. Our department is there to do the best we can for veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  It would have been published in March 2010. The reports on plans and priorities are part of the government budgetary cycle. I don't have the exact date, but it would have been part of the spring budgetary cycle.