Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Minister, and congratulations on your post, Deputy Minister.
I'll ask two questions, and I want you to understand that in no way do I question the commitment of the minister to his mandate or to the veterans of this country. That being said, I feel obliged to go back to the VIP program. I don't want to get into whether it is a forgery or anything like that. That's not what it's all about.
There was an intent to extend, and there was an expectation that the program was going to be extended. The first reference to it was in October 2005. I know I asked the question in June 2006. The reference in 2005 was that the benefits would be extended immediately, and the reference on June 9, 2006, was that we were going to act on this very quickly.
Where is the extension of the benefits to the veterans? How do you see those benefits being extended? Perhaps the minister can respond to that.