Veterans Affairs committee  I only have three comments to make in closing. Number one, as parliamentarians on the veterans affairs committee, do not hesitate wherever possible, using whatever means at your disposal, to consult with Canadians as widely as possible, especially with veterans who are not members of a veterans organization.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's good that veterans and their families would know the wide range of services and benefits that are available to them. Some of those benefits and services they may not require when they're released. You may not need the veterans independence program today, George, for snow shovelling and lawn cutting, for example, but you might need it in the future, who knows?

Veterans Affairs committee  That's absolutely correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  I was fortunate because I was going toward something else. When you're in the reserves, you often already have a full-time job or even a part-time job, or you're a student. Many reservists are students. In my particular case, I might have stayed a little longer had I known what the options were, but I was going on to something else, so I didn't feel as if there was a huge adjustment that I was leaving, that there was this big schism between one career and the next career, or one career and not knowing where to go.

Veterans Affairs committee  I had no transition experience. I was in the reserves. I went into the commanding officer's office. The paperwork was already prepared. I was told, “Sign here. We don't need to tell you where the door is because you already know.” I'm going back a few decades now, and a lot has changed since then, thankfully.

Veterans Affairs committee  There's been considerable improvement since then, for which we are all thankful.

Veterans Affairs committee  When we're talking about issues such as hospital care and housing, you know that we're involving another jurisdiction or two, such as the province or the municipality. It's important to work with these other jurisdictions in finding solutions. We can also look to other jurisdictions such as the United States.

Veterans Affairs committee  This goes to the issue of financial security, which the Veterans Ombudsman talked about a few weeks ago. Financial security is a relatively subjective concept. It means different things to different people. Financial security for an individual may be something entirely different from financial security for a veteran who is married, or for a veteran who has children, right?

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, absolutely. Before the veteran is assigned a case manager, you could start one step sooner with the client service agents at the counter, with an orientation package, a pre-release information package that includes things like financial literacy and financial planning. As an example, the Canadian Securities Administrators, CSA, is actively involved across Canada in financial literacy and financial planning for Canadians.

Veterans Affairs committee  There was a time, perhaps more than a year ago, when we heard some informal evidence from veterans who indicated they were not always being advised of all the services and benefits available to them. Whether or not this practice has ceased since then, I don't know. It seems to me that if you have what the department calls a suite or an array of benefits for veterans, they should be informed about these services or benefits that are available or applicable to them prior to release, if possible.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the veterans affairs committee. My name is Jerry Kovacs. I have been engaged in veterans advocacy work for the past five years. Although I have a relatively short military career compared to some, such as Reverend Zimmerman, as an infantry officer, many of the things I learned and saw remain with me decades later.