Good morning, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, esteemed committee members.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new veterans ombudsman, Ms. Jardine, who will be taking office soon. I wish her well in her new role.
Minister, it's a pleasure to see you.
Obviously, my first question pertains to French. As you know, Quebeckers love their language and never back down. We feel as though the language has been disrespected in recent weeks. You clearly know what I am referring to. I would like you to address the departmental post that appeared on various social media sites, a post that was very disrespectful to the French language. It was embarrassing.
Then, I would like you to comment on the backlog of claims submitted by francophone veterans. They have to wait 45 weeks before their claim is decided. That's roughly twice as long as their anglophone counterparts, who receive a decision in 24 weeks. What I am most interested in are the changes you have made in recent months to reduce the excessive amount of time it takes to process francophone claims, unlike anglophone claims.