Veterans Affairs committee  The stories I could tell you about the phone calls we've received from grandparents and parents from across the country saying they haven't heard from their son or daughter who is over in Afghanistan and they're afraid.... I believe we need to educate the Canadian public, because everybody knows somebody in the military or somebody who is a veteran.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have invited them on the road with us when we're going out to the communities and the families, to educate our families. We're doing our best to encourage them so that they can educate everybody.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think it absolutely should. You're asking the family to make a tremendous amount of sacrifice. They're not the ones who signed up to serve Queen and country; it was the member. The family suffers by default. I think that needs to be recognized legally.

Veterans Affairs committee  We've done a bit of work at the local level together. That's one of the silos I'm speaking of.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely, and they see the benefit in it.

Veterans Affairs committee  That would be absolutely wonderful. As I said, one of the problems we have right now, and we've been.... The Vice Chief of the Defence Staff has written a message to everybody saying he will provide the MFRC with information on the family when a member is deploying. Half the time we can't even get that information.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  I wouldn't have to go out and beg everybody to buy a lottery ticket. That's the hardest part. People say, if you're a military family resource centre, you're fully funded by National Defence, and you must be a federal employee. No, we're independently incorporated, provincially incorporated.

Veterans Affairs committee  We go through a funding application process, so I would say that my budget is very similar. It's just the scale of it. Because I'm the largest and run two massive day cares, that's why my budget is so large. I had a $220,000 shortfall. I am paying through fundraised dollars and dollars raised through user fees for staff who are providing the mandated programs and services that I have to provide.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, we do get some subsidies from the province, absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have a combination of both. We have a lot of people who of course were associated with us, and we're a safe place, so they have kept coming. And then we have people who have been away and they want to start giving back, or they want to get back and be involved and engaged, so they'll come back to the centre.

Veterans Affairs committee  Most of the other 49% are serving military members. We have a couple of community members, but, traditionally, 49% are serving members.

Veterans Affairs committee  Ten years.

Veterans Affairs committee  The issue of occupational stress injuries is going to be the hardest part, you are absolutely correct. If I could tell you to do anything, it would be not to just give therapy and counselling to the veteran, but to work with the family, so that the family knows what to do and understands the whole aspect, because it's the family that's taking a beating.