In Halifax we heard from a Dr. Heather McKinnon, and she's a former medical officer. She served in the regular and reserve forces, and she's now in private practice and she works for the Royal United Services Institute of Nova Scotia. She was very clear that modern veterans do not receive the same level of treatment and care as their predecessors have received. They compete in the general public for doctors and medical assistance, and if they're in a situation where they need long-term care, they have to go to provincial institutions; and those facilities are not equipped and they don't have the expertise.
I can tell you, Minister, I've been in those private, for-profit, or provincial institutions, and there are veterans there who are desperate because the culture is not conducive to their experience. The care doesn't meet their needs if they have post-traumatic stress syndrome, and they feel very much cut off from the kind of care that their predecessors had.
My question to you, Minister, is that I understand the mandate is just for World War II and Korean vets, but given the service, and the courage and dedication of modern day vets, should they not receive the same level of care and consideration as their predecessors?