Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here.
It's appropriate that you're here given what an important discussion this is.
I want to start by recognizing how terrible the situation is. It's clear that the department's treatment of veterans overall is appalling, not to mention the service disparities. It will come as no surprise that many of my questions have to do with the fact that francophones wait exceedingly longer for decisions than anglophones.
Let's travel back in time for a moment. In 2018, a report was released entitled “Meeting Expectations: Timely and Transparent Decisions for Canada’s Ill and Injured Veterans”.
According to the report, francophones and women waited longer than other applicants, and the differences appeared to be arbitrary and not based on a difference in needs. In the 2016‑17 fiscal year, francophones waited an average of 45 weeks for decisions, whereas anglophones waited 24 weeks. The person who was contacted at the time, Mr. Harris, indicated that parity between francophones and anglophones would be achieved by the end of 2021. We are now nearing the end of 2022, so it's a year later.
The Auditor General's report is also quite scathing. It reveals that, at the end of the day, the situation hasn't improved much. Despite all the funding and effort, the absolutely shocking disparity in the service provided to francophones and anglophones persists.
My first question is for the deputy minister from Veterans Affairs Canada.
Mr. Ledwell, what are you going to do to correct the situation as soon as possible?