Yes, the reality is quite different. Of all my son's friends and acquaintances, none is satisfied with the treatment he has received. They have all gone from one appeal to the next. It is frustrating, and it is difficult for them to be constantly reliving these events. I can tell you that in August, my son will have been going through this for three years, and it is still not resolved. There are others whose situation is even worse. I know of no one who has seen his case resolved quickly—not one. It is all well and good to look at what it says in the book about how things are supposed to work, but the fact is that, in actual practice, that is not at all the way they work.
And I would like to add one more thing. Because my son has more than 10 years of service—he will have 12 or 13 by the time he is fully released—he will be entitled to a monthly pension from the Canadian Forces. It is not much—only about $1,100 a month, because it is part… I do not know what the exact amount will be.
However, people who have less than 10 years of service receive a pension that corresponds to only part of the full amount. Imagine if he has nothing left of the $200,000 or $150,000—it is based on his injuries, and as I said earlier, you have to fight long and hard to obtain the maximum benefit and provide evidence as well. He will no longer have any basic income.
For example, if he ends up having to do what the person I talked about earlier did, and take a security guard course, he will be earning $25,000 a year. Nicolas was telling me that nowadays, even beginners, or combat soldiers, earn about $40,000 a year, at the beginning of their career.
