Thank you, Madam Chair, for having me here today.
Thank you, Minister, for joining us today.
There are a couple of questions that I'd like to go over with you today.
In 2021, your government privatized veteran rehabilitation services through a $572-million contract with PCVRS, approximately $104 million per year. The Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees calculated that this contract costs 25% more than public service delivery. Now you're implementing a 7% budget reduction. Let me understand this. You've increased costs by 25% through privatization, and veterans are reporting worse service. Your response is to cut the budget by 7%.
Our Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs will soon be conducting an in-depth study of this contract. Can you explain to this finance committee why taxpayers should pay an extra 25% for something that is performing worse than what came before?