A door has been opened to provide assistance to veterans. I agree that it's a first step. However, I am a little uncomfortable with one aspect of this financial assistance.
There is talk of establishing five training centres all across Canada. There is already one in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. However, we know that this particular centre only has five beds for veterans.
I have an idea and I would like to see whether it is achievable. I will be talking about Quebec, but I have no doubt the situation is the same in all the provinces.
I know a veteran from Matane, the region represented by my colleague. He believes he is suffering from post-traumatic stress. I told him to get in the car, to drive for eight hours to Sainte-Anne-de Bellevue, to spend a day or two there, and then go back home.
I'm wondering whether we could set up a group of psychologists in Quebec who would be trained and mandated by Veterans Affairs Canada to provide follow-up with veterans. There could be one psychologist in each of the different regions, such as in Rimouski, which is located right in the centre of the Lower St. Lawrence region, another one in Lac-Saint-Jean, and so on. There may be thousands of veterans in Quebec suffering from post-traumatic stress. We just don't know.
If it's a health problem—for example, if I cut my arm and I need to see a specialist in Montreal, I will have no hesitation about taking a plane from Rouyn-Noranda to go and see him. However, if I have a problem between the ears but I'm not totally convinced that is the case, I may postpone that consultation to the following week or a time when I have to go to Montreal for something else. I may not end up going at all.
A psychologist who practices general psychology in a regional clinic, however, could be given special training by people like you or Pascale Brillon so that they could also care for people with post-traumatic stress. If it costs $150 an hour, well, the bill would simply be sent to VAC. That would save the veteran money, who would otherwise have to pay to go to Montreal to consult a specialist.
What do you think of that plan?