Thanks for that question, Mr. Chairman. It's a deceptively complex question, which was phrased relatively elegantly.
With regard to the answer, I see in my leadership and in the commitment of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence probably more willingness to commit the necessary resources to do what needs to be done than I've seen throughout the rest of my career. That does not mean that right now I have everything I could possibly want to provide outstanding service. I think I have everything I need to provide a very solid baseline of service.
Now, should some things change in the future, for example should the definition of who is entitled to care change--and right now, families and part-time reservists are not defined as being entitled to care--then I will not have the resources I need to provide the adequate level of support. Changes in those definitions would be huge drivers of requirements for service delivery.
Can I be more efficient in some areas? The answer is yes. But I need management data to tell me where I can make those efficiencies. Those efficiencies that I can make will never bring me down to the average provincial level of expenditure for health care. I have over 1,200 of my people in what we call the “field force”. They don't see patients. Their job is to be ready to go on missions overseas. So I have some fairly substantial drags on my efficiency.