Up to now, I've spoken only about insurance. Now I will talk about commemoration very briefly.
The impact on the man.... You'll notice I'm wearing medals over my heart. This medal is not. This medal is from the ambassador of Kuwait, who gave it to me personally. Because my mission was not wartime service, I am not allowed to wear this medal on this side, over my heart, and every time the ambassador of Kuwait sees it, it's embarrassing for us both.
On a very international level, the suggestion that wartime service and the rules associated with it.... To your very specific question—and I have a second piece—yes, there is an impact on the man and the woman. It is obvious that you don't consider my service in Kuwait to be equal to service in World War II or in Korea.
The second point I'll talk to you about, sir, is the Victoria Cross, which is only awarded for wartime service. I'm not suggesting that the Victoria Cross should be awarded to anyone in the Gulf War, but I am appalled by the government's decision to not award the Victoria Cross for Afghanistan, when all of our colleagues, allies and friends—the Commonwealth countries—all awarded the Victoria Cross. From my perspective, the only reason we have not awarded the Victoria Cross is that our mission was not wartime service. That's the only time the Government of Canada has historically awarded the Victoria Cross—not for Korea and not for Afghanistan. None of them. It's because they're not wartime service.