I think the percentage increase in RCMP members is very similar to the increase for younger CF members. As you would know, the RCMP is eligible to receive the same kinds of interventions from the department, for the same sorts of conditions, in terms of disability awards or disability pensions.
There has been deployment of RCMP members to some of these war zones, and a number of RCMP members are serving in areas of conflict. I'm thinking about Haiti, for example, as a recent one. The response by RCMP members has been much the same. We've been encouraging the RCMP to take advantage of some of the wellness programs that are available under the new Veterans Charter.
The committee may not be aware that although they avail themselves of disability awards and pensions under Veterans Affairs programming, the RCMP don't actually have eligibility for those programs under Veterans Affairs legislation. They get it by virtue of RCMP legislation and regulations. They haven't yet modified their legislation to take advantage of the full benefits available under the Veterans Charter. We think they could probably benefit significantly if they were to do that. The wellness programs that are now available to National Defence members, Canadian Forces members, are not yet available to members of the RCMP, but this is by choice. The RCMP hasn't taken that step yet.