Minister, we know the backlog is the number one priority, but that backlog keeps increasing.
As we've gone through this COVID-19 crisis, we've seen government move at the speed of light when it comes to processing claims for the emergency response benefit, for example. Eight million Canadians received those benefits simply by clicking on “send”, to the tune of $82 billion. We've seen the student benefit, from which 1.1 million students ranging in age from 18 to 22 have received $5.9 billion in benefits. I simply can't explain—and I've tried—to veterans who have asked me how that can happen and yet there are 50,000 backlogged claims and we can't get veterans and their families the money they need.
Minister, this is a dire situation, so if the government can move at the speed of light for this, then why is it not moving at the speed of light for Canada's veterans and their families?
I don't understand why I was just muted, Mr. Chair, but I want to....
Why not increase the eligibility criteria? Why not presume that many of these injuries are attributable to service, and process these claims more quickly? It would free you up from any additional layers of bureaucracy, Minister.
Veterans, right now, are having a difficult time getting doctors' notes because of this crisis, Minister. There have been solutions presented to Veterans Affairs and yet many of those solutions are not being implemented; in fact, those solutions are resulting in court cases against Veterans Affairs because the veterans are not receiving their benefits in a timely manner. There are options, Minister. Please look at them.