Okay.
We get funding from two sources. We get funding from our members through dues. We also get funding from the poppy fund. We have strict regulations on how we can use poppy fund moneys. We cannot use them to sustain branches. That's why, thanks to Veterans Affairs Canada, we have a consultant who can assist local branches make use of the real estate they own, which sometimes can be very valuable and can help them survive.
Do we see ourselves as a service club? If we were only a service club, then we would not provide free representation to any veteran, whether they were a member of a legion or not, or to RCMP members, or to their families in this very complex disability pension process.
I just presented one small window on the eligibility criteria for one program. The same exists for all of their programs, whether or not one is getting benefits under the Pension Act or under the new Veterans Charter. It's a very complex environment. Our professional service officers are trained. They have the tools. They have access to the client service delivery network, which is a VAC database.
If we were just a service group, we would not be doing that. We would not be promoting certain support to the Canadian Forces the way we do. We would not have a defence committee that would argue and basically advocate for a strong Canadian Forces in our country. This is not what a service group does.