Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not familiar with the specific protocols for information transfer between the departments, but we'll come back to the committee with that information.

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't have that specific information with me, but we can provide it if we have it available.

Veterans Affairs committee  My understanding is that there are some entitlements related to assistance dogs. I can't say exactly what conditions would entitle a veteran to them. We can come back with that information as well.

Veterans Affairs committee  I know that Veterans Affairs, prior to 2018, funded an effort to establish national standards for service dogs. Ultimately, bodies that were funded did not successfully establish national standards.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are a number of initiatives internationally relating to women veterans. We have collaborations, particularly with our closest allied countries. We have a working group on research that meets regularly and coordinates areas of mutual interest. We have a number of working groups exploring areas that include occupational exposures and looking at the links between specific occupations in the military and downstream health impacts.

Veterans Affairs committee  Within Canada, I don't believe there are national standards on service dogs.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have about a dozen researchers. As for our budget, I'll provide the accurate numbers, because I don't have the exact number in front of me. We'll come back to the committee with the actual budgets, but we have about a dozen researchers.

Veterans Affairs committee  My function doesn't extend to departmental budgeting, so I can't comment on budget matters. I'm sorry.

Veterans Affairs committee  The most important factor for us in mobilizing our research capacity is the extent to which we can work successfully with partners who are experts in many fields. Dr. Garland Baird mentioned CIMVHR, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. We also fund research through the Atlas Institute for veterans and their families and the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  We do that through a variety of ways. Some of the services VAC funds, such as mental health care services, are complementary to services provided through provincial health care systems. It's easier for us to be connected with the care providers in those fields. For example, we administer a number of operational stress injury clinics across the country.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. I'm not sure I understood it completely, but I can say that when good ideas have come by and we've made logical suggestions, the ears have been open within our department to explore new or compelling areas for research. That's not a constraint, in my mind, if that answers your question.

Veterans Affairs committee  I have heard there are people who perhaps would be eligible for services from Veterans Affairs, but they don't come forward for a variety of different reasons. One thing we want to determine in our qualitative research is what those barriers are—whether they're perceived barriers or real barriers—and whether there's a different approach we can take to change the culture of the services we provide to make it more welcoming for women veterans, in particular, to come forward.

Veterans Affairs committee  I hope so.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll start by saying that, to date, in the research we've been able to conduct—especially when we're talking about services delivered by Veterans Affairs—we have a limited reach. The census counted approximately 75,000 women veterans in Canada, and we serve only a fraction of them.

Veterans Affairs committee  We are eager to engage in and discuss our research plans and research methods with women veterans in the community in whatever form that takes. I mentioned in my opening remarks that some new community-level groups are coming together and are providing input into the department's perception and perspectives on how we should engage in research.