I'd like to mention this, because at the time Mr. Cotter first brought his case, I was secretary and I dealt with it personally. I might add that it wasn't just the KVA. We got the National Council of Veterans Associations involved, for instance, Brian Forbes, who I'm sure you've met with. The Legion was involved. We brought him down for a meeting with Veterans Affairs in Ottawa. One of the problems was that they simply didn't recognize it, they couldn't recognize it, and they found out that we had no one in Canada who could recognize it. This is why he was forced to go down to Texas. Then, they didn't want to believe it.
I might add that Mr. Cotter's son was very active in pushing this too, and as you may have known if you're from North Bay, it frequently occurred in the media. I think it was just a matter of pressure and pressure and pressure that did it.
If we'd had an ombudsman who could have nipped that in the bud before he even had to go down to Texas, I'm sure that.... He's receiving satisfaction. I believe he's getting 100% pension now. But on the other hand, I'm sure he would have got it many years earlier if it wasn't for the fact that it was simply, unfortunately, “We can't prove it; therefore, we won't pay it.”
This is why I'm so pleased with this cancer decision they made, which is almost the reverse. If you were in Korea and you have cancer, they will assume that's where you got it. This is what they should have done years ago.