Ms. Gallant, it's world-class. I've talked to many of the soldiers who have come home wounded—in fact the majority of them, either in Kandahar, in Landstuhl, Germany, or here across the country, depending on which hospital they've been in. To a person, they have been effusive in their compliments and praise for our Role 3 hospital at the Kandahar Airfield, which is a multinational hospital that's Canadian-led, with British, American, and Dutch physicians and physicians' assistants all sharing part of the burden. They have an incredible team, and the soldiers say—including a couple I sat down with on their beds when I was there two weeks ago—they've never had care like that. This kind of care has been delivered for them in a hostile environment. We believe that's necessary in order to have the confidence to ask them to go out and do something that is risky and dangerous.
Secondly, when they leave Landstuhl and come home, they will say, almost to an individual--and perhaps every one of them—that this is the foremost medical facility in the world. That's their assessment of it.
The families that go over—and sometimes we have families go to meet the individuals in Landstuhl, if we anticipate their being there for more than a few days, or particularly if they're very critical—also agree. They come back here and say, sir, nothing is better than the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre.
So as part of making sure that we thank them appropriately, I visited them last week. In fact in November, as I'll be back in Europe for a variety of meetings, I'm going to award them the Canadian Forces Unit Commendation, because they deserve it for their care of our men and women, and their families.
Back here in Canada, we have worked with regional centres. For example, I think it's the University of Alberta Health Centre as one example, and the Civic Hospital here in Ottawa, where we established an understanding of who those great young men and women are who come home wounded, who care.
Young Private Mike Spence was on the Hill several weeks ago for the “Wear Red Friday” rally. He and his dad, who also happens to be a serviceman, and his mom and family say the care has been second to none. They could not want for a single thing. When I went to the University of Alberta Health Centre, the staff lined up to meet me to tell me what great men, great gentlemen, and what great patients our wounded soldiers were, and they asked if they could use them all as examples for the rest of the patients--because there's no reversing those guys we bring home. They want to get better and get out, or get on with their lives, no matter what.
The care is world-class, Ms. Gallant.