Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I can understand your wanting to put all of this information onto a card, but let me give you an example. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms starts out by stating some broad principles and then goes on to explain their meaning. Of course it's possible to summarize this bill which sets out broad principles, but these principles need to be explained at some point thereafter.
The article reads: “Recevoir des prestations et des services en temps opportun, conformément à la législation pertinente,”. Explain to me the meaning of “législation pertinente”. Is this a reference to existing legislation, to legislation that will be amended, or to legislation yet to be enacted? A bill of rights always has some legal significance. In the case of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, although it contains a statement of principles, it also carries some legal weight. In a trial, the court would look to the statement of rights. A statement made by a department or minister carries some legal weight. If veterans were to decide one day to take legal action, they would invoke the fact that a bill of rights has been adopted and must be respected.
I'm not opposed to adopting a short version, but I think each of the stated principles should be explained in a short paragraph, as was done in the case of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Of course you can always jot down broad principles on small cards. I have no problem with that. However, earlier, on rereading the text of the bill of rights, I found some contradictions and instances of repetition.
For example, the bill says that veterans have the right to be heard, while further on, it notes that they have the right to participate in discussions. As far as I'm concerned, if I participate in discussions, I hope that someone is listening to me. Some of the broad principles stated in the bill are not necessarily clear and are stated more than once.