Veterans Affairs committee  I think what's important to realize here is the fact that the very reason we separated the economic benefits from non-economic benefits was to make sure that this amount that is allocated for pain and suffering, which is the lump-sum award, should not be taken into consideration

Veterans Affairs committee  First of all, I'd like to offer our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families of those deceased soldiers. Obviously, it's a very important issue. I think the reason we're here today, and the reason we published this report, is to help people have hope that there is somethi

Veterans Affairs committee  I have a point of clarification, Mr. Chair. The fact is that there is a military ombudsman who actually looks after people while they are serving, and although we have sometimes dual jurisdiction, anything that happens to a soldier before he's actually released is the responsib

Veterans Affairs committee  I really couldn't answer that question, but certainly we can....

Veterans Affairs committee  It certainly is. Under the new Veterans Charter it's a transition concept in trying to facilitate a good transition—psycho-social, financial, and vocational. That is the idea. Obviously some people will not be able to achieve that. You talked about lifetime dependency. Of cours

Veterans Affairs committee  The reason we recommend 90%, which is equivalent to net income before release, is the fact that the family and the veteran are going through a very traumatic period of their lives because they are leaving a culture of being well looked after and going into civilian life. Before

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not sure I want to go there and answer that question, but certainly there should be a greater partnership, I think. The issue of transition is a dual responsibility, and there have to be some programs that flow through, maybe managed by both departments, so that you don't sto

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, it is.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. Training is very important. You have to know the programs you are administering, the people you are dealing with, and how to treat them and how to deal with them. One of the things we found in Veterans Affairs is that a lot of people know their own program very well, the

Veterans Affairs committee  The question of whether or not there's a program in place to help people get trained would have to be asked of the department itself. We certainly have no involvement in that aspect.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think every situation has its own circumstances. It's very hard to generalize and say there is enough training or enough this and that. Obviously it's a department that is undergoing some major changes. Really, there are a lot of people who are concerned out there. We found th

Veterans Affairs committee  Our concern is fairness. Whatever happens, there should be no deterioration in service to veterans and there should be easy access to information. That's an important part. I'll link my answer to what you talked about before, the training. Obviously if you close some offices and

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm certainly pleased with the administrative aspect of the program and the progress that's been made there. Obviously that amount of money existed before, but it was restricted within envelopes. Everything was compartmentalized. Now at least the flexibility is there for an indiv

Veterans Affairs committee  Not as much as it could be. What we're talking about is freedom of choice, somebody being able to choose a different career if they wish to. How do you take a sniper and build on his existing skills and competencies? That's very, very restricted employment. There certainly has t

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes—