Well, we would have to refer back to our actual recommendations on the VAC and post-release side of the equation. In one recommendation, we're focused on the pre-release. What we're saying is that currently there is for-profit insurance provided through Manulife. The acronym is SISIP. It provides long-term disability payments.
The problem that all the members who have been involved with this have mentioned is that in the case of any other payments—say, when they get on the post-release side, if there are any benefits that come from VAC—the money is clawed back. The net result to the veteran is net zero gain. Also, that insurance only goes until they're 65. They're quite concerned about what happens at 65. Is that when we're to die? You can see that anyone in the room looking ahead to age 65, if they knew whatever income they had was going to quit at 65, would be left with a destitute feeling.
What we're suggesting here on the pre-release side.... We could also say that people who join the military or a company or anything usually join for the long term; they're going to go there for employment and then retire. It's the same thing in the military. But if they end up with a disability somewhere through their years of service and are medically released, we're suggesting that the money that's being paid now into this for-profit insurance company be curtailed and that 85% of the premiums and the 15% that the personnel apply go into a military pension.
So there would be three types of military pension.
One would be the standard one, for which you provide service for 30 years and then you retire.
The second is if you become disabled somewhere in your career path, you would be released, but you would receive an accelerated pension; in other words, it would be as though you did 30 years in the current rank. That pension would be for life and would also be indexed. This would give the veteran stability and at least a basic income, and it's not going to quit at 65.
The other type of pension would be for someone who is severely disabled. What we're suggesting here is that they be promoted one rank and then released, and that they receive a 30-year accelerated pension for the rank they were released at. This would give them the basis.
Then when they go to post-care, VAC has a wide variety of programs for them. If their condition worsens, VAC has pensions that they can apply for. If those are approved, they are building on a steady thing; nothing is being clawed back. This would de-radicalize the current people. This is why our veterans are becoming radicalized and turning against the government. They're all upset. We see this as a way out.
We feel that there's a legal bond here. Others have expressed it in other ways, but we believe that in actual fact there's a fiduciary relationship formed between the Governor in Council and a person taking the oath. This comes to the forefront when that person receives a disability. This is where the accelerated military pension steps in and provides that person with a basic income.