Veterans Affairs committee  I'm sorry, Madam, but we really haven't had time to put that together. We have been looking at this situation. Originally the Legion said no ombudsman, that it was not a necessity. The Legion, like everything else, is progressive. It has to change. Society is changing. Things are changing.

Veterans Affairs committee  Have I missed some?

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, that's not a problem at all. It is a Legion statement as to what we felt should be included in a veterans bill of rights. It is in the presentation here very much as it is on the website. Our committee came up with that, and it was written to a great extent by our office staff and approved by the dominion president and the chairman of that committee, who happened to be the same person.

Veterans Affairs committee  I hope I got all of that.

Veterans Affairs committee  I will attempt to answer your question first, sir, and then perhaps if I have missed something, Comrade Allard will take over. In answer to your first question about the difference in attitudes of Mr. Chadderton's organization and the Royal Canadian Legion, I can only tell you that his organization was well represented at the meeting earlier today, as was ours, and we seem to be coming from very much the same places in a lot of ways.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, to join as a voting member, in some cases, sir. You may have to be there for a couple of years. There are all kinds of memberships. Anybody who is interested should check with their local branch on eligibility factors, because if you're a good Canadian citizen, you can probably join.

Veterans Affairs committee  From a national level, we can be somewhat restricted in the assistance we give to branches, because each and every branch is autonomous and they are very close about their autonomy. They do things on their own. Within provincial commands, there is often means of assistance to some of these branches.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for that question. Certainly there is no end to the improvements we would like to see. The more there is for the veterans, the better satisfied we will be. Generally speaking--and it was a very general question--we have a good deal of satisfaction with that particular department.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much. Honourable Chair and members, it is an honour for us to be here today to represent the Royal Canadian Legion and to offer our views on three matters related to veterans issues, namely the veterans bill of rights, the veterans ombudsman, and the veterans independence program.