Veterans Affairs committee  The 10 years is that presently if you leave before 10 years, you don't get the pension index for life. If you leave the forces after 10 years and you are medically released, you do get a pension for life, indexed at that point in time.

Veterans Affairs committee  I believe we're headed in the right direction now, because they put together the joint personal support units that are in fact a team of Veterans Affairs Canada personnel and military personnel who actually help people transition. Although you say that today you're in the force

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't think we have the latest figures, but we can certainly provide them. We don't have the answer with us now but we could provide it to the committee.

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—

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, they are entitled to a pension when they turn 65. They don't get the two-year pension right now. It's a deferred annuity—

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  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  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....