Veterans Affairs committee  When we are still in uniform, there are plenty of opportunities to get a degree. Again, this is anecdotal, but when I first arrived at Third Van Doos as a subbie, I was the only guy in a 700-man battalion who had a master's degree. I was the only one. Nowadays, if you go back t

Veterans Affairs committee  You are absolutely right, sir. If young people from the community join the forces and have a very bad experience, they will talk about it when they return to the reserve or community. It can have a serious domino effect, because communities are very close-knit. That is precise

Veterans Affairs committee  We might have to do a bit of digging to see whether any surveys had been done of people who had opted not to continue. Bits of information of that nature may be available. I'm not sure if we have done that in a systematic way to try to figure out ways people have been retiring

Veterans Affairs committee  When our members leave the military, clearly, they are entitled to all the programs Veterans Affairs Canada has put in place. As I mentioned in my opening statement, I like to see that young men and women have gained the skills and experience that will help them transition to civ

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't have it at hand, but we can—

Veterans Affairs committee  There is a huge emphasis right now on recruiting women. It is, as far as I know, focused specifically on women at large. I'm not tracking any indigenous women-specific programs.

Veterans Affairs committee  From a training perspective, we always need to ensure that everybody graduating is up to the standards. We don't want to end up in a situation where young aboriginals are showing up at our regular army units or reserve units, where the people would have the feeling that the train

Veterans Affairs committee  I can offer you my personal experience. I commanded a battle group in Kandahar in 2009. There were 1,300 men and women under my command. When I came back from Kandahar, during that summer, my band council organized a ceremony on my behalf. I was handed an eagle feather by the chi

Veterans Affairs committee  What I lived was very positive, but again, I'm just one case among many.

Veterans Affairs committee  The programs that are in place, obviously, are serving every Canadian Forces member who is retiring, whichever background they may be coming from. The aspect, though, that really has attracted my attention lately is that some of these services are not really available when you'r

Veterans Affairs committee  The program is being delivered by aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. Obviously, since we have elders on these programs, they can tweak the program. They have a lot of experience, obviously.

Veterans Affairs committee  That I wouldn't know. Maybe, MWO, you know.

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, I don't have that specific number. We'll get back to you with the number. What you need to understand is that this is all about self-declaration and self-identification. You may be an aboriginal or a first nations member, but if you don't self-identify, it's very difficul

Veterans Affairs committee  As of March, it was 2.7%, if I'm not mistaken. It varies based on release and enrolment numbers.

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't have the figures on hand. I'm not sure whether a member of the team knows the answer. Yes. We can do that. We can provide you with the exact figures.