Veterans Affairs committee  Nobody knows they're there, and if I don't know it's there.... I don't know what I don't know, so I don't know to ask for it.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  The initiative we have taken is that for the past two and a half years we've invited somebody from Veterans Affairs to come with us every time. We travel every month, and four times a year we do big travelling road shows across the province. We invite somebody from Veterans Affairs all the time.

Veterans Affairs committee  I believe our only role would be to be a resource to the family to make sure they're connected to the right place. Because we do family peer support and group support, that's about the only role we could continue to play. It's mostly helping people wade through the myriad of services and making sure they know where to go and how to do it.

Veterans Affairs committee  I absolutely think so. We've partnered with all the legions in the province, and they have become our source of information. If we need to get something out to the families, we send it to the legions. The legions are posting it and promoting it, and making sure that their community...because they're the ones who know their community best—where people are and how to connect in that community.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, we do. About 55% of our funding comes from the department's military family services. That's just my centre. It's different across the country.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm very aware of the events around the Chicoutimi.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, the Canadian Forces health services can't even tell you that, because they haven't tracked the sub crew as a whole. They've gone off; they've been posted; they've broken up; they've gone all over the place. And the Canadian Forces, I don't believe, even knows how many people have PTSD out of the Chicoutimi.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think the Canadian Forces is doing a good job in preparing the member. They're not doing a good job of educating the family. I think the serving member is getting the information. I don't think the families are.

Veterans Affairs committee  I absolutely agree. Thank you.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think the military family resource centres could play a significant role, because we're already connected with all those families when they're in uniform and as they transition out of uniform. It's a continuum of education. It's mostly just education and ensuring they are aware of the resources.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would encourage it tremendously.

Veterans Affairs committee  There is a total lack of services for families of veterans and released and retired members. Families and the retired member, the veteran, have to be included in everything you do. That's why we've been so successful. That's why, with our experience, working with the family as a whole needs to continue in transition, when the member is released or retires and becomes a veteran.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think the new Veterans Charter is a huge step forward. The family does not know what resources are available to them. The member, when retiring, releasing, or working with Veterans Affairs and accessing a service, may not know that there are things available to his family. The family definitely doesn't know that things are available to them.

Veterans Affairs committee  It may provide access to information to a few more people. But we have found, throughout our many years, that when information is mailed to somebody's house, people don't sit down and read it. When you have an education session or when the member is releasing, invite the family in and say, “Here's all the stuff available to the family through Veterans Affairs”.