Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Colonel, it's a pleasure to have you here today and to hear what you have to say. The service that both you and your organization provide for the men and women in the Canadian Forces who have been injured or ill, or who otherwise need your support, is extremely important.
I want to talk to you for a second and maybe ask your opinion on what you would suggest on a matter that I've been dealing with for some time now in my constituency. It has to do with the home equity assistance program. You may be familiar with that. It's a problem that's been faced by a number of Canadian Forces families across the country.
In particular, there's a major in my riding whose family is imploding, frankly, as a result of the stresses and the pressures that have built up over his attempt to deal with this issue.
Let me just briefly tell you that he has gone through the grievance procedure, gone through the regular channels. The Chief of the Defence Staff ruled in his favour, and said that he in fact should have been compensated for the loss that he and his family incurred as a result of a relocation. The military ombudsman likewise supported his position and identified the problems.
Let me just say that he's been fighting this issue now for five, six, seven years. This is one family out of approximately 146 families.
Colonel, the burden that this has been to this member's family.... He has five small children. I spoke to him yesterday. He was in tears. He's been sleeping in his van. He had just gone downtown to hock his wedding band and his medals.
What are we supposed to do about this guy? What are we supposed to do about his family? Why is the military allowing his family...?
This man has served in Afghanistan, two different tours. He has 25 years in the military. He's a major.
Why does it have to get to this position? He's been shown to be right. It's been proven that the program is wrong. Why is he being left to hang out to dry? His family is basically being allowed to be destroyed.
Can you comment, please?