Mr. Speaker, my Nova Scotia colleague is correct. In fact, in January, I announced that the agreement in principle, estimated at over $887 million, was reached with the veterans' counsel. This settlement will be of tremendous assistance to veterans and their families.
The court will soon consider the proposed settlement, including legal fees sought by veterans' lawyers. Legal fees of $66 million—that is a $13,000 hourly rate—are being sought. We find this grossly excessive. The federal government will oppose the amount of legal fees sought as unreasonable. We expect that the bulk of the settlement will reach the intended beneficiaries, the veterans.