National Defence committee  In most cases it is.

National Defence committee  I think the million-dollar question is, who audits that process? Nobody audits that process. I'm sorry, but if you are a psychologically injured soldier and you're asked to put a redress of grievances or to go to court, you will not have the energy or the wherewithal to do that.

National Defence committee  I would say no. Just to correct the record, I would clarify that the peer-support program is not an approach based on psychotherapy or one that conflicts with a drug-based approach. Last week, I was speaking with people who were looking to launch a peer support program for doctors in a particular province.

National Defence committee  No, sir. There is a unit here in Ottawa in the headquarters that will slice, essentially. It will look at somebody's file. It will determine yes or no, the person can remuster or the person cannot. There is an office. However, the process to allow injured members to be retained in the military after an injury occurs, in my estimation, is wrongly calibrated.

National Defence committee  The unit that makes the decision here in Ottawa does so based on a bunch of reports. The commanding officer normally has his or her piece to say, and that will be factored in. I think the processes are there. The system has enough wrenches and screwdrivers to make this work. There is, however, a bit of an antiquated paradigm driving the decision-making process.

National Defence committee  As you have surely noticed, I don't mince words. When I am not happy, I say so. However, the Canadian Forces have made some improvements in this area. Once again, Dr. Zamorski could show you how much things have changed over the past few years. When I left to join the Mental Health Commission of Canada, most military members—if not 80% of them—who were showing early signs of mental health issues six months after returning from Kandahar were already receiving clinical care.

National Defence committee  However, this is not for everyone.

National Defence committee  Yes, but the culture has changed considerably. If we had more time, I could tell you some stories. I encourage the committee to watch a video. I can give you its title later. A 30-minute video was made about the military culture and operational stress injuries. The video shows uniformed soldiers talking a lot.

National Defence committee  I can't really comment on the improvement. Once again, I do not have a family perspective. However, through my work, I realized at some point that there was so much isolation and guilt involved. Families don't know what is going on or what is happening to the family unit. Many wives feel guilty.

National Defence committee  I've been known not to invent stuff when I don't know. I'm not sure. But what the committee should be aware of, and this is an issue for the committee to look into because my information may be outdated, is that National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada may still have two inventories of approved medication for psychiatric conditions.

National Defence committee  —need to talk.

National Defence committee  I'm not sure if the committee is familiar with employment limitations. When medical practitioners provide the leadership and the decision-makers for people's careers with information to help guide that decision-making process, no diagnosis is necessarily shared. No medical information is shared, but employment limitations are shared with the chain of command.

National Defence committee  That's right.

National Defence committee  Medical.

National Defence committee  No. I'll rephrase that. Civilian doctors will get hired across Canada into medical clinics to augment the uniformed presence there. In psychiatry, you'll have psychiatrists who work in a military clinic and see military patients. They maintain an affiliation with the large hospital in their city or a clinical practice in their civilian life, and they develop an expertise and work within our medical system.