Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, they cut budgets, ignored voices, and closed offices. Let me tell the House about someone else. A retired major with 25 years of service, 20% disabled, which basically means they may have a loss of hearing or perhaps a bad knee or ankle, will now receive over $70,000 in pain and suffering benefits alone, not to mention education and training benefits to help them transition to a civilian life.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker—

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I can tell the House that as a Newfoundlander I have seen a lot of fog but the pea soup fog of amnesia over on that side of the House is so thick. Let me remind that side of the House of its record with our veterans in 10 years. Let me remind those members how they balanced their budgets on the backs of our veterans.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we are committed to the well-being of veterans and their families. We promised to deliver a pension for life, and we are delivering on that promise. It is designed to help veterans live a full and productive life post-service. It is monthly. It is a payment for life to recognize pain and suffering.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I relish every opportunity I can get to stand in the House and compare this government's record over two and a half years to our veterans to the 10 years that the other side had. Under our pension for life option, let us take a young corporal who served for six years before becoming severely injured, with mental and physical injuries.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, there are few things I have learned in my short time as minister. One of them is the incredible amnesia that seems to exist on the other side of the House. One would think that some foreign body or some alien species had been in government for 10 years. Under the 10 years on the watch of the Conservatives, when veterans came home, what did they come home to?

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we have delivered on a pension for life. It is monthly; it is tax free. I have spent the better part of three, four months criss-crossing the country and finally listening to veterans. What do they say? One thing they have resented over the past 10 years—

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, in this place, I know words are used, but words are not enough. On this side, finally, we have taken action for our veterans. While I have heard others say such things as “shell game” when it comes money, $10 billion of new money for our veterans is no shell game. That is real money—

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I wish I could look at the other side and only accuse them of inaction, but I could not do that, not when the Conservatives cut budgets for veterans, not when they closed offices time and again, and not when they ignored the voices of veterans. We, as a government, in two and half years, have put forward $10 billion in new money.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we appreciate all that veterans do to maintain peace and keep Canadians safe. Our government took immediate action to address a number of the issues raised, including increasing pain and suffering compensation and the income replacement benefit. Veterans asked for a pension for life option, and we delivered.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we value the contributions that veterans have made in protecting the peace and security of Canadians at home and around the world. Our government took immediate action to address many of the issues raised in this case. We increased pain and suffering compensation for all injured veterans.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, Canada's veterans bravely defend the peace and security we enjoy. When they come home broken, it is our duty to see them mend. However, under the previous government, veterans came home to cut services, to closed offices, and to their voices ignored. With our recent announcement of a pension for life, this government's total investment in veterans in two and a half years is $10 billion.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, the Books of Remembrance commemorate the lives of more than 118,000 Canadians who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving Canada in uniform. During the renovation of the Centre Block, the Books of Remembrance will be located in phase one of the Visitor Welcome Centre in a suitably designed space where public viewing and the daily page-turning ceremony will continue.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), Veterans Affairs is unable to provide a breakdown of expenditures related to the processing of claims by approved claims versus denied claims as its financial system does not track expenditures in this manner. However, the overall administrative cost of the adjudication process within Veterans Affairs since 2012 is broken down as follows: 2011-12: $17.7M (Salary $16.7M / Operating $1.0M); 2012-13: $19.2M (Salary $17.8M / Operating $1.5M); 2013-14: $19.1M (Salary $16.9M / Operating $2.2M); 2014-15: $19.6M (Salary $16.5M / Operating $3.2M); 2015-16: $23.3M (Salary $19.8M / Operating $3.6M); 2016-17: $25.3M (Salary $ $22.1M / Operating $3.2M) Figures have been rounded.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, many of the issues raised by the Equitas lawsuit are part of our mandate, part of my mandate specifically, and our government takes them seriously, so seriously that we took immediate action when we were elected. We increased the disability award substantially. We increased the earnings loss benefits substantially.