Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses for coming to present. I'm very interested in what you have to say.
I'm going to ask a number of questions, and whoever feels most comfortable answering, please, go ahead.
I noticed in our briefing material that the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains databases or a registry for specific situations, for example, exposures to hazardous substances during the Persian Gulf War and in Iraq; exposure to depleted uranium in Iraq, the Gulf War, Bosnia, as well as Afghanistan; exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants; and exposure to ionizing radiation during nuclear tests or bombardment. The testing is done free of charge and these registries are maintained.
On the purpose of maintaining these registries, are you looking at research on the impact of these exposures? Also, is there any dispute about the effects of these exposures on human beings, on veterans?
This is something we are still debating here in Canada, and I wonder if you could enlighten me at all.