The legal framework associated with the Pension Act covers World Wars I and II, and the Korean War, Mr. Chair.
The Veterans Well-being Act covers everything thereafter, granting authorities to the Minister of National Defence to declare special duty service—either the area or the operation.
The main difference between the two legislative frameworks is the actualization of the compensation and benefits that can be provided to both service members and veterans. For example, moving from the Pension Act towards the Veterans Well-being Act, benefits have been actualized to factor in a caregiver providing care to our veterans, as well as mental health.
If you would recall, Mr. Chair, after the two World Wars, a lot of the veterans were diagnosed with shell shock. It was in the very early days of mental health, so we were not attuned to all the complexities of mental health. Proper legislation was required in order to expand and actualize the services offered to both service members and veterans.
That's the essence of the difference between the two frameworks, Mr. Chair.