Veterans Affairs committee  I know what your question is, but I'll preface my answer with something else. There are two aspects here. When we say it's for the veterans, it's not necessarily for claiming; it's for their health. If a veteran is sick and he feels that it is attributable to depleted uranium, it's important that he get the right treatment, because, on the strength of our investigation, what we're seeing is that it's unlikely that what he has can be attributable to depleted uranium, scientifically speaking.

Veterans Affairs committee  The answer to that is absolutely not, and I underline absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  But to answer, I know what you're asking me. That was our guiding principle as scientists that, yes, we have to be independent and objective, thoroughly objective.

Veterans Affairs committee  We had criteria, scientific criteria. But independent from the point of view—I think your question is—of any external pressure.

Veterans Affairs committee  It was considered, clearly. I have to correct you on that. If we had included every piece of evidence from every expert, the report would have been huge. We did not claim that it was going to rival the major American or British studies. We wanted it to be simple, accessible and easily understood by veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  Independent is independent, and we sure as heck wanted to make sure it was independent, because if it's not independent, our individual reputations are at stake.

Veterans Affairs committee  I've asked myself that question, and because you're asking it, it makes it a good question.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not aware of anything, but it certainly is something that ought to be researched because it would be completely different if we had a way of measuring exposure, not just to depleted uranium, but to arsenic, nickel, cadmium, or anything else that soldiers might be exposed to, which you don't necessarily find in the day-to-day environment.

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay, well, you'd get rich.

Veterans Affairs committee  Maybe I was speaking a bit too fast, or maybe it was in French, but the Canadian Forces do not have depleted uranium weapons. They had some for a short time on board ships from 1989, perhaps 1990, until 1998. I could slip by one year on either side of that, but that's the only time they had depleted uranium.

Veterans Affairs committee  It was never fired. Canada never fired a depleted uranium round in battle.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, but if none of them is the cause, it is difficult to conceive that a little bit of this one and a little bit of that one, strung together like beads in a rosary—

Veterans Affairs committee  As I understand it, you are asking me what the problems are, in general terms. In general terms, soldiers who have been deployed anywhere—

Veterans Affairs committee  Anywhere—

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, it is possible.