Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Bastien and Mr. Cormier, thank you very much for coming today.
In your first statement, you indicated that those who communicate with the department may be eligible for benefits if they qualify. You indicated that 211,000 people are now receiving benefits from the department in one way or the other. However, there are well over 700,000 military and RCMP veterans out there. That means almost three-quarters of the veteran population are not being assisted by VAC.
In your comments you mentioned those who communicate with the department. Shouldn't that be turned around? This is the first question of several that I'll ask right away. Shouldn't the department be communicating with them, reaching out to them and saying, “If you're a veteran, contact us”? Anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 people, if not more, leave the armed forces and the RCMP on a regular basis every year. Shouldn't the department immediately, from the minute they leave, be tracking them and calling them periodically just to find out how they're doing? They become veterans, although maybe not VAC clients. You're putting the onus on the veteran to contact the department. Personally, I think it should be the other way around. That's the first question.
Second, on page 9 you talk about how most eligible veterans receive $40,000 a year. First of all, how many veterans actually receive that earnings loss benefit? What is the complete total? What happens after age 65?
Third, you talked about the Helmets to Hardhats program and how private companies are now stepping up and hiring veterans, which is a very good thing. How many veterans are hired by the public service? One of the things in the Veterans Charter was that they would get priority in public service hiring. How many departments in the Government of Canada have hired veterans? Maybe not now, but if you get a chance later on, if you could break down which department has hired how many veterans and where they are, that would be most helpful.
Last, I understand the government announced yesterday a new app for iPhones and cellphones, which is a very good thing for those people who can adapt and use those kinds of communication tools. At the same time, the government is closing eight district offices across the country. My experience is that for people with very complex needs and very diverse needs, an app is not going to cut it. What they need is that physical one-on-one opportunity to speak to a warm body, to speak to someone in person who is able to assist them in their needs so they can get the comfort and the assurance they require in order to achieve some sort of normalcy in their lives and to be able to move forward.
Those are my comments for you right now. I do thank you both very much for coming.
By the way, with respect to the Korean War commemorations, the folks who organized that did a great job. My compliments to them.