Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Allard. I'll try to scratch through this; I'm losing my voice.
You mentioned the value of the work of this committee. Thank you for that compliment, but it's the value of the work the Legion has been doing in the community and in the ridings for many years that I'd like to talk about first.
I come from northern Ontario, where there's a Legion branch in every small town. They've been looking after people. We know there are some criticisms of any organization, but in the work that's carried on in small towns—and I'll use my home town, Dryden, as an example—the Legion has been a focal point forever. It's not only veterans who go there for assistance. It's generally the largest organization. It's the organization that helps everyone with everything from getting married to simply helping with social issues.
I'm tremendously proud of the Legion and the work they do and the work they've done for decades and decades for veterans. I wanted to put that on the record. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it: the legions are the backbone of the small town.
Too often any government, and I won't mention anyone in particular, will forget the small town in rural Canada, and we can't do that. So thank you for your valued efforts on behalf of the Legion.
I've talked before about how the legions are struggling. I know you're here to talk about the health care review, but I think it'll be a loss to any veteran, whether modern-day or a traditional veteran, if we lose the legions in the small towns or if we lose the legions across Canada.
Do you have any comment on any kind of support from any government on supporting the Legion as they support our veterans. If the Legion is not in Dryden, the veterans who are left there, either modern-day or not, will not have the access they have right now.