Thank you, Mr. Chair.
In considering these arguments, for and against, we need to bear in mind what the new Veterans Charter is all about. It's based on wellness—not just physical wellness but wellness in all its forms. Any assertion within the scope of this charter that doesn't address mental health issues is turning a blind eye.
Those who went to Charlottetown and paid attention to the presentations saw what is probably one of the most extensive mental health programs in the world. It's the Department of Veterans Affairs that provides this service. I think we're putting the cart before the horse. We're making assumptions about this issue without even bringing in anybody from the department to test those assumptions. We've categorized our troops and veterans without seeing the statistics that might bear out the differences, the percentages, the reasons why. Is it the transition from DND to Veterans Affairs? Is it all within DND? Is there a particular issue that is causing this? Is there a loophole? These things should fall within our study, because we're studying the new Veterans Charter. These are the things we're trying to do to make our veterans as healthy as they can be after their service.
If we did an individual study that focused only on this, would it come at the same time as this study? Would it come after this study? Is there going to be another issue that crops up? When are we going to do this study? Who will the players be within this study? Could it already be dealt with by the time the study is done? I think this is the best way to do justice to the new Veterans Charter. It is also the best way to find the solution we're looking for. If we have members of the department come in, and we're unhappy with what we hear, then we can take a different approach. Is it a subcommittee? Is it a further study? We haven't asked department members any tough questions about how this issue fits into the new Veterans Charter. Maybe this is done 100%, or maybe it's a glaring weakness. Based on the Charlottetown information, we have some good data, good programs. Maybe we should have the officials in for a few meetings as soon as the House comes back. I think we need to ask them some tough questions.