Veterans Affairs committee  No, and I don't want to create the impression that there's a large number of people out there who would prefer to go into a facility. It depends on which facility you're talking about, to be quite frank. There are some facilities that are top-notch, and they provide all sorts of services.

Veterans Affairs committee  No. I think it's natural for our bureaucracy to be suspicious when they haven't thought of it. We thought of it, okay? And it's been very well received. Senior management sits in on three of the four committees. They don't sit on the mental health advisory committee yet, but we're working on that, and the other chairs will be there.

Veterans Affairs committee  I appreciate your remarks regarding the long-term-care beds. General Sharpe has his room picked out at the Perley-Rideau, and I have mine picked out at the Colonel Belcher. Hopefully things will move forward before we need them.

Veterans Affairs committee  If I may, Mr. Chairman, on a serious note, when we were bouncing around the bases, a couple of us went to 18 different bases. It was heartbreaking for a couple of us old vets to listen to the stories from the soldiers. That's when we asked the professor and a couple of other female members of our staff, and Deborah Harrison from UNB, to visit the bases in Ontario to bring the families on board and so forth.

Veterans Affairs committee  The RCMP didn't sign on to the new Veterans Charter. Some of us think that this is a shame, as do a lot of the RCMP members. That's internal politics, and it's been pointed out to them. For example, we have the mental health advisory committee meeting coming up on December 1 or December 2.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll think about it. I'll give you a call tomorrow morning.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, and I appreciate your patience, Mr. Chairman. It's the term “Think outside the box”, because when they started CFAC, the then deputy minister, Admiral Larry Murray, cracked the whip over in the Department of Veterans Affairs and got them thinking on behalf of the veterans instead of the bureaucracy.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, and I forgot. Another senior's moment.

Veterans Affairs committee  He puts me to sleep all the time.

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't know if the committee is aware of the Military Family Resource Centres at DND. It's not a VAC thing. Where a family is taking advantage of an MFRC, and I think there are 34 of them across the country and overseas, once the individual is released then his or her family--I almost used the word “dependants”, which is not a term you are allowed to use any more--would have to leave the MFRC.

Veterans Affairs committee  If I may, that was to the extent, sir--and our chair will support this--that we were extended. We were supposed to be finished last year, and Mogan and company said “Get it right. Take a little more time.” And as you can see, this report, in my opinion, is an excellent report and it has been well received.

Veterans Affairs committee  To go back, the only time--and I'm sure our chair will indicate the same thing--something has been decided by the Department of Veterans Affairs was very early on in CFAC. In our deliberations we were given the challenge to rewrite the old charter or write a new one. We deliberated and discussed it and the decision was made by VAC to write a new one.

Veterans Affairs committee  One of the members of our families committee is Gwen Manderville. Gwen is the widow of Chris Saunders, the lieutenant who was killed in a submarine incident. She's a delightful lady. When her husband was killed she had a babe in arms and a two-year-old child. She was covered by the old Veterans Charter, such as it was.

Veterans Affairs committee  We go back to CFAC, sir, early deliberations, better part of ten years ago. DND was over there, VAC was over here. You got out of the military--I use my own case as an example--and five years later I thought I had a hearing problem. I do have a hearing problem. I went to the VAC.

Veterans Affairs committee  If I may, I'd just add a comment there, sir.