Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I've heard from veterans as well that sometimes they see that the process has just been standing still and that is extremely frustrating for them. You know, I'm a member who represents a very rural and remote riding, and one of the challenges some of my communities have is very poor access to the Internet.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you all so much for being here today. One of the things I've heard repeatedly in my office from veterans is the frustration with the wait times. As I mentioned earlier, I get calls from my riding but also from across Canada. I heard from the deputy minister that the wait times are now about 32 weeks, One of the things we're hearing again is that they are told that on average this will be the wait time, when their case has often already gone past that amount of time.

Veterans Affairs committee  How is the department going to move from having a failing grade to a passing grade on this?

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not understanding then. This is something that Veterans Affairs was graded on. I'm confused. Are you saying that the care of the veteran's family and children is not the purview of Veterans Affairs? I just want clarity.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's interesting.

Veterans Affairs committee  I get a second round, Minister. One of the things that I found very compelling when we had the ombudsman here was that he talked about children and families and their access to mental health support and that it is an ongoing issue that they're not able to access those services.

Veterans Affairs committee  What I'm talking about is that, in the report card from the ombudsman, what we saw really clearly was health care and supports got overall a failing grade. I think eight out of 10 were not met at all. One of those specifically was children and families having access to the mental health supports that they desperately need, and he just identified that as one of the most significant concerns.

Veterans Affairs committee  You're saying that if it continues at this high rate, then next year we would hopefully not see the budget decreased.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, both of you, for being with us today. As you well know, Minister, I've asked you a few questions in the House. In your response to your question, you mentioned the $10 billion and you also mentioned it in your report today. I'm going to ask some clarifying questions so I can better understand.

Veterans Affairs committee  I know the intention. I'm just trying to get some clarity—

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  From what I understand, the $10 billion is the absolute maximum expenditure overall, for all of these programs, assuming that every single eligible veteran applies and is approved. Is it really likely that the $10 billion is going to be spent?

Veterans Affairs committee  It's an important point that you're bringing up. I've asked about that in the House.

Veterans Affairs committee  I appreciate what you're saying. There is an increase in the number of applications that VAC is receiving and it's great that there has been that extra capacity added. However, I know from veterans in my riding that they're still seeing incredibly long wait times. With the increased traffic, wait times over a year are still the norm.

Veterans Affairs committee  I have multiple veterans in my riding and veterans from other ridings who have called and told us that, and it is definitely a concern for them. They're calling in to check on their file and they're being told, “This amount is your wait time,” but the amount of time they've waited has already surpassed the number that they're being told.