Thank you, Chair.
I want to thank everyone for your testimony here today.
For me, this is a really important issue. I've worked with veterans who have been denied housing because there is no national standard. People say that it's just their pet, but the reality I hear from those veterans is that they can't walk out that door unless their “pet” is with them. That's what really concerns me.
When I look at all of these challenges, I think they're all important. We need to have a standard, so that people can get on a plane with their service animal and be able to travel as they need to. We need to make sure that we don't have veterans choosing to be homeless because they can't find a place to live that will allow them to bring their service dogs. This is my challenge. It's different from province to province to territory.
I'm just wondering if I could come to you first, Mr. Cousineau. Could you just speak to what the lack of this support really means for veterans?
I think you've highlighted it perfectly. These dogs fundamentally change your life and allow you to have one, which, as somebody who served our country, should be absolutely necessary. What would having some sort of format that makes space for these important service dogs to be recognized do for veterans across our country?