Thanks.
I'm going to start off with just a comment. I'm assuming with regard to veterans that we're talking about more than those serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, but the RCMP and our police services as well. They matter.
I'm going to quote an organization that's in my backyard. I don't think they have any skin in the game, so I think this will be unbiased, but I'm trying to make a point here.
They say, “Service dogs are not just companions providing confidence and reassurance that the handler is not alone, but integral for the entire healing process, helping with emotional self-regulation and mobility while performing various essential tasks and supporting activities of daily living based upon the individual's requirements. A service dog can promote healthy connections with individuals prone to self-isolation and withdrawal, thus offering hope and promoting recovery in the form of post-traumatic growth.”
I'm hoping there's nothing there than anybody would disagree with.
I really want to go back, though, to my previous question and give Ms. Moss a chance to answer it, because it's about time. Playing devil's advocate a little bit here, I think MP Samson made the comment that we got to the moon 50 or 60 years ago, yet here we are failing to establish standards.
I want to go back, Ms. Moss, again to understand why standards failed to be set a few years ago. Why can't we just adopt another country's standards? Because you're involved in this, you said you've already been a year getting the technical standards and groups set up, so how much more time do we need?
Dogs mean different things to different veterans. Safety is of vital importance, but ultimately it's the mobility aspect, or accessibility from my point of view. I don't care what the dog does as long as it's safe and it does that for that veteran. When Sergeant Webb gets on the ferry next week, he should be able to take his darn dog and take care of himself.
Can you comment on that, Ms. Moss?