You are probably familiar with Jacques Métras, who was part of the Comité logement Rimouski-Neigette. We had long discussions on the issue of affordability with regard to social housing.
Mr. McKenna, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Bruyea, thank you for your service. It's hard to know where to begin. What you're saying—and it's probably the most powerful phrase that I've heard during these pre-budget consultations—is “civil service has taken over.”
One of the key commitments that Liberals made during the campaign was to ensure that no veteran has to fight the government. That is exactly what is happening right now. That is a key commitment that has been broken. It is not for lack of trying on behalf of the veterans who have been injured.
I was reading an article back in May about the decision to go back to court. It said that the lawyer representing the six Afghan war veterans who initiated the class action lawsuit was ready to drop the lawsuit if there was a clear timetable given by the government. When the government and the minister refused to do that, then it went back to court.
What you're saying is that it's not necessarily the minister who is at fault directly, but the civil service that decided to go forward, and come hell or high water, they'll go to the end on this.