Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct, Mr. Chair.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chair and honourable committee members. Thank you for this invitation to appear before you in the context of your review of the new veterans charter. With me is Ms. Dale Sharkey, director general of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. As this is

Veterans Affairs committee  Oh, most certainly; our legislation provides that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, we do from time to time, although when I discuss, at the heads of federal agencies meetings, the number of decisions we produce, they're quite surprised, because we produce quite a volume of decisions in a year.

Veterans Affairs committee  We presently have five members who are Canadian Forces veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, there is, most definitely. Not only is there quite a lengthy training program when members are first appointed to the board, but we have continuing education for members. Most recently, we were in Vaudreuil, Quebec, near Sainte-Anne's, where the operational stress centre sen

Veterans Affairs committee  I am consulted by the minister's office with respect to what our needs are within the board and what our requirements are throughout the country—what positions we need to have filled, as far as capacity and bilingual needs are concerned—and we're always monitoring our workload to

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I was not aware of that. I don't have any difficulty answering, but I don't know if—

Veterans Affairs committee  No, it doesn't, because all our members, whether they come from military, legal, or medical backgrounds, had previous lives. But they make a commitment, when they are appointed to our board by Governor in Council appointment, that they are joining a quasi-judicial body and they h

Veterans Affairs committee  With respect to individual cases?

Veterans Affairs committee  We do not publish our decisions, out of privacy considerations, and that is the present state. We provide on our website and through our reports, both to Parliament and in communications in our brochures, information about our process and our statistics on a regular basis.

Veterans Affairs committee  The change in volume in decisions, and I think you're referring to the number of operational stress....

Veterans Affairs committee  No. With respect to that question, Mr. Chair, it's the changing dynamics of the applicants to the redress system of our board. It's that there are fewer and fewer of the traditional veterans and more of the Canadian Forces members and veterans that has made that change in the num

Veterans Affairs committee  If you want short answers, sir, let me ask Ms. Sharkey, Mr. Chair, to address those numbers.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I would like to talk briefly about the law, if I may. The presumption of doubt in favour of the client is always there; it is in the legislation and is applied in every case. But before the panel can apply that benefit of the doubt, the client has to provide evidence o