Veterans Affairs committee  Thanks very much for the question. I would say that the awareness of veteran benefits and programs over the past five years has really improved just because of the nature of great programs like the education and training benefit or the career transition service. A lot more veterans are aware of them, so over this past five years, as the minister indicated, we've seen a 90% increase in first applications and a 60% increase in all applications across the board.

Veterans Affairs committee  I cannot tell you how important it is to address the backlog. At this moment in time, it is difficult to give anyone an expectation of when the backlog will be cleared because I don't know how many more claims will come in the box today, tomorrow or next week. Again, as Rick Christopher mentioned, more veterans are leaving the Canadian Armed Forces.

Veterans Affairs committee  We've increased our claims processing capacity in Montreal, but we do need more staff who are proficient in French or completely bilingual, especially given the challenge around medical jargon. We've mobilized resources to better meet the needs of our French-speaking veterans.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  You don't need any claim at all. That's one of the reasons why the emergency fund was so important. Even without any kind of claim going into the department, as long as we know that you served, then we're going to provide support.

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't see why we could not provide that kind of information, as long as it would not compromise privacy.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not sure we've put together a document that lays out the multipronged approach we're taking on right now. We could generate the document that would lay it out, but we are moving forward in terms of the balance between the hiring of additional staff. We have not been able to totally leverage technology.

Veterans Affairs committee  I know this is a really troubling issue. Again, the challenge is one of a federal institution providing mental health support to non-veterans, which generally, in our construct, is provincial jurisdiction. Therefore, the authority that the department has is focused on the well-being of each and every veteran.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thanks very much for the question. Again, the department itself does not provide care. All of the caregivers are working within a provincial jurisdiction. The authority that the department has, again, through our government machinery, is focused on the well-being of that veteran.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would also say that as my soon-to-retire colleague Michel Doiron indicated, we don't cut people off the program from a compassionate standpoint. We will allow the program to be completed so that the objectives, or as the mental health practitioners say, the “goals” of the treatment are completed.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sir, thanks so much for the question. It's always a challenge when we're trying to establish the trend, go to government to get the resources and take the time not only to hire employees and train them but also to evolve all of our digital tools across the board in order to implement a significant change in how we process.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sir. Thanks very much. Going back to an earlier question, we are working with our allies to do modelling in order to address the backlog and accelerate decision-making, specifically working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs to look at the kind of modelling they have done to accelerate their decision-making processes.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would just add to that, sir, and say absolutely. What we're hearing from the Royal Canadian Legion service officers is that folks who were perhaps denied in the past are reapplying as we move forward, whether it be on hearing and tinnitus, in terms of mental health injuries or on musculoskeletal injuries.

Veterans Affairs committee  We will, based upon the best knowledge we have.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.