To all presenters, thank you very, very much for coming today to help us in our review.
First, our colleague, Mr. Laurie Hawn, announced the other day that he won't be running again. I want to thank him from our side for the great work he's done for his constituents and all of Parliament. Well done.
To Frank Valeriote, welcome, sir, to our committee. We look forward to working with you in this regard and, as Mr. Cundell has said, in a non-partisan manner, to move this issue forward.
I have one question for each of the presenters.
I'll start with Wounded Warriors. The other day you folks did a marvellous thing by giving $40,000 to a fairly new organization called VETS Canada, a veterans emergency transition service headed by Jim Lowther and his wife and others across the country. This is to help veterans who become homeless. I'm wondering if you can explain briefly why that was done. Also, what more do you think will be done in order to help those veterans who unfortunately find themselves homeless? That's my question for you.
Alice, you stated that you needed a report that was based on evidence. Well, sometimes that evidence can change with new things happening down the road. I'm thinking of depleted uranium and possible exposure and of the chemical spraying at Gagetown, for example. Did Agent Orange cause a problem or didn't it? Initially it was thought that it didn't, but then, years later, with evidence, it was proved that it did. If you're trying to give benefits to someone based on a presumption of a chemical exposure and there's no hardcore evidence yet, there's a good chance the veteran may be denied in that regard. That's my question.
Mr. Cundell, here's my question for you, sir. Some of these benefits in the charter, as you so rightly stated, end at age 65. I can't put words in your mouth, but I assume you want these benefits to expire when the individual passes away, not at age 65. That would be my question for you. Thank you.
Thanks to all of you for coming.