Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, that's a very appropriate question because that's an issue of great concern. In fact, yesterday in the House of Commons they had a question on that very issue.
One of the things we have done is set up new clinics. In fact, in the last year we've opened new clinics across the country for our soldiers, for our veterans, for those who serve. Those clinics have been opened up in areas like Calgary and Quebec City, for example. We still have Ste. Anne's Hospital, which plays a leading role on issues like this, which has been there to play the leading role for a number of years, as you well know, Mr. Chairman. We also have a 24-hour hotline service for veterans, which is an important function as well, that is manned by very dedicated professional people to help veterans work through these issues.
In addition to that, Mr. Chairman, we're working closely with DND to more clearly identify those issues before they occur, in the sense of trends that might lead to this. I think we're working more closely with DND than we ever have in the past. I believe we're getting results from that close relationship with DND. We're committed to that very issue.
The question is, are we doing enough? I believe we are, because we know this is an issue. Not to say it hasn't been dealt with effectively in the past, but as we move forward in terms of deploying our soldiers in very dangerous missions across the world, I guess we'd expect this would be something the department would have to deal with. I believe this was envisioned by the department during your tenure as minister, moving forward, knowing full well that with your government's commitment to Afghanistan this would be something we would have to address, so I think the department was well prepared for that. I believe we are doing exemplary work in those particular areas.
One of the other things we have done, and I think the former minister would be aware of this, is that we have moved many of those utilities off base into the community, where it's much easier for a soldier or someone dealing with that difficulty to approach it. Unfortunately, in Canada we still have a resistance to dealing with anything to do with mental illness as openly as we should. As you well know, even outside of the military, people with mental illness, as we often say, suffer in silence.
One of the pins I normally wear, when I don't have a veteran's pin on, is that of the Canadian Mental Health Association. It shows the phoenix rising from the ashes, in the sense that there's always hope, there's more that we can do, but the way you do it is to address it head-on and work constructively with your clients. I think we're doing that, Mr. Chairman.