National Defence committee  It wasn't I who raised the backlog. I think it was the CBC that released the report about two weeks ago. The backlog exists. I know that Veterans Affairs Canada is in the process of hiring a whole bunch more front-line people. Maybe that will reduce the backlog. The backlog exists, so having worked and having had to meet a payroll in my life, I know that when something is not working, you don't add more to it.

National Defence committee  I don't believe it's a reluctance. I'll go back to the fact that it's a process that's been set up over 40 years, and we've always done it this way. Do we know another way to do it? Have we looked at other ways to do it? I can't say. I don't think it's reluctance. I just think this square peg doesn't fit into the round hole.

National Defence committee  As for the surgeon general—I like to keep things as simple as possible—when a member of the Canadian Armed Forces has breached universality of service, his or her career is over with the Canadian Armed Forces. To breach universality of service, shouldn't that be adjudication enough for everybody?

National Defence committee  Currently our office is working on an electronic engagement type of resource that we'll have available to all members of the Canadian Armed Forces. It's going to be a little more than the ABCs of moving. We're going to tie it in to the MLS system so that you can see average housing prices across the country, and so on and so forth.

National Defence committee  That's a very large piece. Once you get into the private sector, what part of the private sector is it? Will there be competition? All these things have to be considered. I think the Canadian Armed Forces do a good job with the housing they have. They're starting to modernize the whole portfolio across the country.

National Defence committee  The different type of treatment usually comes from the class of soldier. Are you class A, just in for your Thursday night or on the weekends? Are you class B less than 180 days? Are you class B greater than 180 days? Are you class C? I think that's where the complexity comes from.

National Defence committee  There are two parts to that question. I do believe there are certain things that are outside the realm of authority of the Canadian Armed Forces, such as increasing benefits or those types of things. But I do believe also that many of the issues we're talking about are within the control of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

National Defence committee  I try to meet with the minister every 30 days. It doesn't always happen. He's a busy fellow. We do try to meet on a regular basis. If I have cases that are of extreme urgence, I can get hold of him very quickly, if there's something in the environment that I think needs his immediate attention.

National Defence committee  I do believe that, if we get the surgeon general's office to take the responsibility for determination of attribution of service, there will be pressure inside the surgeon general's office, remembering again that we're already dealing with these 1,500 cases and we are tracking them and doing all the medical things we need to do and keeping the files.

National Defence committee  I believe people become very protective of what they've built. I believe people take ownership of their processes and their procedures, and it's a good thing to have pride in what you've developed. But as the times change around us, I think we all have to learn as we grow older to let things go.

National Defence committee  In regard to that particular report, we haven't received a very favourable response other than that they are being taken under consideration and further work needs to be done before we get there. Again, it's the inertia I spoke about. My concern about the classes of soldiers resonates in just about everything we do.

National Defence committee  That was the post living differential.

National Defence committee  The post living differential program has not been updated since 2008.

National Defence committee  I think the review needs to go back and look at the basket of goods, do a regional review across the country, and determine what has changed. That's where I am. Whether the government decides to index it or whatever they decide to do is the government's decision to make. What I'm talking about is keeping the program current, so that the families who are being posted from one area of this country to another have clarity on what their income package looks like, and giving them stability.

National Defence committee  When we look at the home equity assistance program, and there have been a couple of cases that have been very loud in the media, what the member has to prove is that there has been a greater than 20% reduction of the value of their home in that area. Trying to prove that is almost impossible.