Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
As you mentioned, my name is Major‑General Erick Simoneau, deputy commander of military personnel command in the Canadian Armed Forces. With me today are Brigadier‑General Luc Girouard of the strategic joint staff, and Sean Graham, our military historian.
We are pleased to be here to answer your questions regarding our policies and processes related to benefits, compensation and recognitions related to operations in order to support our members who, as you know, are willing to risk their lives in the service of our country.
In terms of areas of responsibilities, I would like to note that the Department of National Defence is responsible for serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, while responsibilities related to veterans' compensation and benefits reside with our colleagues from Veterans Affairs.
As it pertains to the process in which operations are classified as either special duty areas or special duty operations, General Girouard will be able to provide greater details as required on those aspects.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the ongoing discussion as it pertains to wartime service and special duty service. I think that it's important to point out up front that applying these categories is not meant to signal greater or lesser respect for service members and veterans, nor are such categories indicative of a lesser degree of risk on the part of those deployed. Rather, these categories are derived through analysis of risk and hardship for each operation based on their own merit.
Again, General Girouard will be able to dive into those aspects as required.
As I mentioned, veterans' benefits are the responsibility of Veterans Affairs Canada. That said, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces work closely with Veterans Affairs Canada to ensure that these benefits are and continue to be well suited to the needs of our members and veterans.
Thank you for inviting us here today. We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.