I don't want to give anyone any history lessons, but I want to remind you that the Canada Health Act excludes military persons from the Canadian health care system. When a member of the military leaves the Canadian Forces and returns to civilian life, at that point, the provinces are responsible for their health care.
As you mentioned, there is a problem with regard to operational stress injuries. The department has acknowledged that there are deficiencies in that regard in the health care system.
In 2001, we established a network of clinics specifically to treat these mental health issues. This network includes 10 clinics that work in partnership with the seven clinics of the Canadian Forces, so there are in total 17 clinics. The clinics have recognized that people who live in remote areas do not always have access to these services. Consequently, they set up remote service points away from the main clinics. So there is a network of 27 service points dedicated to responding to the needs of veterans, military members, and RCMP officers who are eligible for these services.
That is what the department has put in place. It reflects 15 years of expertise in mental health care for military members and veterans; this is not found at this time in the public health care system.
I simply wanted to remind the members of the committee that we have indeed taken steps to respond to the needs of this vulnerable population.