Thank you very much for that question, Ms. Sudds.
That was one of the questions I raised with the acting deputy minister the last time we met. I asked her if the $9.5 million could come from the $184 million over four years the government had allocated to Veterans Affairs Canada. She informed me that this budget was meant for disability benefits, not for the bureau of pensions advocates. That's the first thing I asked her.
Unfortunately, I was told that the $184 million allocated to Veterans Affairs Canada over four years could not be used for the bureau of pensions advocates. I believe they didn't even seek the opinion of Treasury Board or the government. It was an instant response. I wondered whether they had checked with the government to see whether they really weren't allowed to use some of these funds. I'm telling you very honestly what I was told.