I'm really struggling with this, because there's a lot we need to get done in this committee, and here we are having this repeat and repeat. My curiosity here is.... One of the things that I've talked a lot about is having VAC have a more veteran-centric communication strategy and also, I would say, a greater level of trauma-informed training, because what we hear again and again from veterans, of course, sadly, is that they're often retraumatized. It's called “sanctuary trauma”.
Here we are.... I'm getting frustrated. I would like to see Wednesday happen. We've already turned away all of those people. They came, and one of them is a veteran who has shared with me her frustration about having that happen. I think we just need to do Wednesday. I want to be clear about that, because I just feel that I don't want to be talking to the same veteran again about why she was turned away from having her voice heard.
I want to get answers, too, but what I can't handle here is that there continues to be this discussion, oddly enough, that veterans were consulted, and I don't believe that's the case. I asked questions when the ministers were here, and I don't believe it. I hear that the Liberals believe it. I just want to get this done.
I've talked to Afghanistan veterans, who just want a place to be remembered. There was a fear that their service would not be recognized. We've not only lost them in Afghanistan; we've lost them in our own country, when they took their own lives. I don't care, really, which monument is put up. Personally, I don't care. It's not my job to make that decision. That is really up to veterans, and I agree with that, but we need a better process.
I hope we can get this done, and I hope we can get it done quickly. I hope we can focus on serving veterans, and the way we have been put in this position to serve them is to be here and to do our work.
I'm skimming through this study on the women veterans again. This is amazing, what's in here, and there's so much more that we need to do. I really want to get to the study around the Persian Gulf veterans. I know that the Persian Gulf veterans are going through some significant challenges right now. We need to acknowledge them and give them support through this committee with the work we do. I don't want to turn away veterans who are trying to come.
I hope that we can just vote on this. Can we call the vote so that we can at least get this part done?
Then, if they're going to continue to filibuster, I think that collectively we need to start thinking about how we can get information that may not be able to come through the committee.