Veterans Affairs committee  We are not yet sure about the number of positions that will be needed to deal with applications because of the improvements we will be making to the systems and the processes. That's why adding temporary employees puts us in a better position for the future.

Veterans Affairs committee  We do receive feedback on My VAC Account, and the accessibility issue. People are able to have proxies access it for them if they want to provide other people access on their behalf by providing that level of power of attorney—I'll put it with that kind of term—for somebody to be able to access it.

Veterans Affairs committee  If anyone's having any difficulty in that instance, certainly, with the member, you can contact the Veterans Affairs office to make sure that we can address that issue. Individual veterans and/or family members can certainly contact us through our national contact centre to indicate if they're having any issues, as well.

Veterans Affairs committee  Maybe I can offer Amy a break and answer that on her behalf. There were certainly some changes with respect to the HR complement at Veterans Affairs over that period. As you noted, there was an expectation that we would have a reduction in clients as we were moving forward. As Amy noted a little earlier in the message here, we've seen a significant increase in the number of people coming forward.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much for your question, Mr. Desilets. I can assure the committee that I have never found Mr. Desilets' constant demands regarding delays in the processing of French-language applications annoying. As he noted, it's true the situation was absolutely unacceptable.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Ledwell. Of course, we're making significant efforts. As the deputy minister said, over the past few months, we have significantly narrowed the gap between francophone and anglophones applications. I see that our people are now trained and equipped to make decisions on francophone applications.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's a very good question. All we have in our files right now are francophone applications that have been pending for a long time. When we make a decision, it has an impact on the wait time. It's hard to say exactly when we will close the gap between francophone and anglophone applications, but I believe we will get there soon.

Veterans Affairs committee  To be honest, I think we might get there in the next few months.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sir. If it's the end of the fiscal year, we do expect it still to go down before the end of the fiscal year.

Veterans Affairs committee  The challenge with respect to this particular issue is that we don't control intake, so the number of veterans who come forward seeking benefits varies, and it has varied significantly over the course of the pandemic period, in particular. We've seen increases, as is noted in much of the material that has been shared with you.

Veterans Affairs committee  It wouldn't increase by the end of the year. Sorry, did you mean the end of the calendar year?

Veterans Affairs committee  I think additional resources, sir, are always helpful. Of course, we're doing other things to try to speed up the process for veterans who apply. In behind the scenes we are streamlining the processes that are required to support that, making it easier for our disability adjudicators and all of the team that works on this to make decisions much more quickly.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sir. I believe that is the accurate figure.

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, sir, if you would like, I'd ask Sara Lantz, my colleague who is the chief financial officer, to respond to that question.

Veterans Affairs committee  With respect to case management, Mr. Caputo—and I address this through the chair, of course—the case management elements are such that no veteran waits for a case manager because there is not a backlog. If a veteran needs a case manager, they are assigned a case manager, so that is a case manager-related issue.