Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. The chaplains are fully engaged in the great new initiative on transition, where we want to be as effective as possible to help people make the transition from active service to civilian life, the same way we have the departure assistance group when we are preparing people t

Veterans Affairs committee  Pray for us? No.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have some challenges right now in recruiting, because it is a priority of the chaplain general for us to be able to sustain the recruiting, and we want to keep fostering diversity, to have more women within the chaplaincy. I failed to mention, in terms of diversity, that we ha

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  First I have to say, in all my years of service, the very great majority of the people who have been called to serve are very good leaders. Enforcing respect is modelled the way of sound leadership, and that's something that, if we don't give the example, then it's not going to h

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sir. A third pillar for our service is that we are there to empower and care for those who are called to serve. We have built, for years, in partnership with the Canadian Forces health services, a care for the caregivers program. I can testify that it has saved some chapla

Veterans Affairs committee  With the new defence policy—“Strong, Secure, Engaged”—there's a big initiative to have a total health and wellness strategy, which is a comprehensive approach to looking at health in all the dimensions that you have stated. It is very encouraging to see how the leadership of the

Veterans Affairs committee  We're getting better, I think, in trying to make accessible all the services that are there, but this is a capability that we're trying to further develop, because we know that there's a need. That's all I can say.

Veterans Affairs committee  Not to my knowledge on your specific question, sir. However, you raise something that is extremely important. The chaplaincy is a key service that helps support the Canadian Armed Forces strategy on suicide prevention. All our chaplains are trained and educated in counselling, a

Veterans Affairs committee  Sir, it is at the heart of our vision statement. Is it at the heart of leadership? It is absolutely essential. That's the reason we say it is a moral and spiritual component of the call to serve. It's the heart of the community.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's a good question, sir. I can speak for what the chaplaincy represents at the heart of the military community, which has an impact also on the people—namely, that when they leave the forces, they're still part of what I would say is the Canadian military community. I know ho

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I'm Colonel Sylvain Maurais, a member of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service. I have served the Canadian Armed Forces as a military chaplain since 1985. Presently, I fulfill the duties of Director of Chaplaincy Services and of Chapl