Number one, on Juno Beach, I think it was so important that it was a non-partisan group that attended that. You may very well remember the interview on that. That's so important. It really involved the French people when that interview took place and when the group at Juno Beach put on.... You saw it—it was quite a show. It was a true human feeling about veterans, which is so important.
That brought us to the point of the French government. As you know, I went on the next day and met my counterpart in Paris, as I said. Really, I have to feel that the interview had a lot to do with it. I know my deputy spoke to them in Paris. I spoke to them too, but that interview was so important. Being there was so important.
You mentioned the lapsed funding. There's been lapsed funding in Veterans Affairs for many years. What we have to do is make sure the funding is there to provide any veteran.... When their funding is approved, the money has to be there. There has to be more than is needed or we will have less than is needed, and that's not acceptable. That's been this year, last year and every year I've been in Veterans Affairs.
You mentioned positions. Of course, my job is to make sure we have the appropriate people in the appropriate places and meet the requirements for veterans as best we possibly can. You mentioned.... I think you said 6,800 veterans. That's the backlog at the moment, down from 23,000. It's so important that we continue on the track to meet the national standard. I know you care about veterans and want to make sure they receive the proper remuneration and what they deserve. We're working very hard to do that.
Thank you.