I think we made a decision as a country that we were going to honour the veterans by providing services to them that exceeded what is available to the Canadian population at large. That was a tribute to the fact that they put their lives on the line for us.
So I think there is a double standard. I think it's a double standard that as Canadians we have bought into and feel very strongly is deserved. The VIP program really is a double standard. It provides to veterans services that are not available across the country through our provincial programs. Some home care programs are more generous than others, in providing home-making and groundskeeping, but most of them do not—particularly the latter. That is a responsibility of people who live in their own homes.
So yes, there is a double standard, but one that we accepted.
Let me say that I know Elliot Lake—I lived in Sudbury for four years—and I know it has become a retirement town and that they need services there and have to rely on the services that are available in that region. I think we need to have very good home care programs across the country to meet the needs of all citizens, and we need to reach out on the health promotion side to all citizens. But we are reaching out farther for veterans.