I will repeat what I said. Right now, with the resources available, wait times can stretch up to three years. If 44% of term positions are cut, there's no doubt that wait times will go up 40% to 50%, at a minimum. That's why I mentioned five years.
That's one of our concerns, because as Veterans Affairs Canada employees, we are at the mercy of government policies and decisions. We also depend on budgetary allocations to the department, and that's what we work with. There will be repercussions.
This will have a knock-on effect on members and all sectors of Veterans Affairs Canada, including operations in regions, where our case managers look after veterans, and at the bureau of pensions advocates, where employees will suffer from burnout.
If 44% of term positions are eliminated, there will be only 56% of the workforce to process 52,000 active cases. Staff will definitely burn out and we'll have a crisis.
I understand that concern because we don't have any power, beyond appearing before you today to seek your help to obtain the $9.5 million for veterans. I'm doing this for our members and for the 96 employees. Nevertheless, I'm being very sincere when I say that the veterans who fought for us are top of mind. Can we show them some appreciation? That's why I'm here today.
When it comes down to it, we're not asking for a lot.