Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to meet here today.
I'd like to introduce Mr. Raymond Lalonde, who's my director general responsible for our network of operational stress injury clinics across Canada.
Over the past few months you have heard substantial testimony from qualified, credible expert witnesses who spoke passionately on the subject of Canadian Forces members transitioning to civilian life. My goal today is not to repeat the information already presented but rather to summarize some key points and to address any outstanding questions you may have.
Veterans Affairs Canada is fundamentally changing the way we do business. Our vision is to become equipped to serve veterans and their families better, faster, and in more convenient and modern ways.
In fact, the Minister of Veterans Affairs outlined quite a few details of the more recent service improvements when he presented the main estimates to the committee a few days ago.
We've been strengthening our relationships with shareholders, working collaboratively in gathering intelligence from our veterans, partners, and advocates, and the department is responding to this information. We are on the right track for modernizing our services and our benefits.
Certainly, there is a lot of work left to be done. It is important to remember that improvements take time, but progress has been and will be steady.
We work in collaboration with the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman. An example of this collaboration is the Benefits Browser, which was first developed by the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, has since been adopted by the department, and is now available for use across our offices.
An example of this collaboration is the Benefits Browser which was first developed by the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman and has since been adopted by the department. It is now available for use in all our offices across the country.
The benefits browser quickly displays and sorts information, thereby improving the capacity of our front-line staff to respond faster and provide veterans with the relevant information they need.
We are developing a second tool for use by Canadian Forces members, veterans, and their families.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Those are my opening remarks.