Okay. I have this much left, so I'll be short.
I happened to do an article on this particular problem, which is in Esprit de Corps magazine, and I was able to grab about a dozen copies, which I've circulated. I'm not plugging the mag, although I write for it, but it is perhaps a more readable and faster way of getting the story.
Finally, I'd like to mention that I wear another hat, and I'll be very brief with this. I'm vice-chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada. I understand that Cliff Chadderton was here a few weeks ago, and he expressed most of our concerns. My mother had a saying, “Don't boil your cabbages twice.” In other words, I think he probably stated our case very well.
I would say, though, that we do very much support the initiatives of NCVAC, of which we are one of the 55 member units. We endorse most of them, in particular the need for a veterans affairs ombudsman, the concern over marriages after age 60, and also the extension of the veterans independence program to widows. This was supposed to be happening. It hasn't.
I would like to thank you for this opportunity to express our concerns, and I'll now hand you over to our national secretary, if I may.