Thank you very much, Minister, for being here today. It's really a pleasure to have you with us. I appreciate very much the work you've done so far in your role. Congratulations on being the Minister of Veterans Affairs. I look forward to working with you to ensure that the service being provided to veterans in Canada is the best in the world.
You mentioned budget 2016 in your opening comments. In reviewing it, I think it will make a difference for veterans. I appreciate your comments on budget 2016.
I'm wondering, with regard to service delivery, about the nine offices that will be reopened and the new one in Surrey. I come from Nova Scotia, from West Nova, and no service delivery office will be reopened there. Could you tell me how the service delivery will be improved for rural areas, for veterans who maybe have difficulty accessing larger centres, and how the department can work with those veterans to ensure that they're able to receive services like those in bigger places?