I'd like to come back to Max Peddle. We have to consider what life is like for a war veteran living in the boondocks, in other words, a very remote area where there are practically no services. Évain, the small village in Abitibi where I was born, is a good example. We need to think about how an individual of 75, 78 or 80 years can be uprooted from a place where they spent their entire life, and be sent to hospital in a major urban centre.
I have to tell you something: I broke down in Goose Bay because my father chose suicide over moving to a big city. I apologize, but this is very emotional for me.
Another point: Max Peddle works with aboriginals. He wanted to bring an aboriginal man out of his home area where he would go fishing, and so on. He wanted to save him, but the man refused to move to Halifax. He let himself die by not taking his medication, among other things. That is experience. What is being done for the aboriginal war veterans who live on the shores of James Bay or Hudson Bay? What is being done to assist aboriginals living in your territory, Mr. Valley? Mr. Valley's riding is home to several aboriginal reserves. What services are provided? By listening to Max Peddle we will be able to get an idea of what is being done, what is not being done, what can or cannot be improved, etc. I know that this involves costs but I am committed to having Max Peddle come before us because I know his personal experience will leave an impression on you.
Furthermore, my friend Claude Bachand, who is the Bloc Québécois representative on the National Defence Committee, told me today that next week that committee will begin a study on post-traumatic stress syndrome. Isn't it time that our committee chair spoke to the national defence committee chair to tell him that we've been discussing post-traumatic stress syndrome for more than two years?