Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is always on point, and I appreciate that. It is important to have these discussions.
With regard to the member's comment about litigation, it would be inappropriate to speak on a matter that is currently before the court. However, I will say this. The Government of Canada knows that all of us in this country are enormously indebted to the past and present members of the Canadian Armed Forces for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf.
That is why the well-being of veterans is a priority for our government. Since 2016, we have invested over $10 billion of new money into our veterans and their families. That is money for educational opportunities and career transition services for veterans, tax-free benefits for caregivers and services for families. It is money that has gone toward increasing physical and mental health supports, and research into new treatment for PTSD and related health conditions.
These are considerable investments that have truly improved the lives of our veterans and their families. Can we say the system is working perfectly? Absolutely not.
We are well aware that the service delivery gap exists and that it is still taking too long to process applications, benefits and services, but we also know we are taking many steps to address these issues.
In June, we introduced a strategy to reduce wait times for veterans that includes reorganizing teams, improving and leveraging technology, and streamlining certain steps in the process. This strategic document describes the mission that Veterans Affairs Canada has undertaken to change the way it works, make faster disability benefits decisions, and better serve our veterans as a result.
We have committed nearly $200 million over the next two years to retain case manager employees and 168 disability adjudication resources, provided in budget 2018, as well as hired an additional 350 employees dedicated to making decisions and reducing wait times. According to the PBO report, the impact of new hires made as part of this investment will significantly reduce the backlog.
According to the PBO report, the additional employees hired as part of this investment will contribute substantially to clearing the backlog. These important measures build on what the department has been doing for the past several years to improve benefits for our veterans.
It is also worth noting that the most recent Speech from the Throne announced, a few months ago, the intention to create a $20-million veteran organization emergency support fund. This fund will help organizations with the resources they need to continue to help veterans and their families on the ground.
We are grateful to each and every one of them for their service and their sacrifices, and we will continue to support them.