National Defence committee  We have not gone that route, and it's something that I have fought against. I know that our U.S. colleagues had that at some point. I was fortunate to treat a Vietnam vet years ago. I think the fog of war happens. In fact, in one of my slides that I use in my lectures, I show som

National Defence committee  As to the evolution of mental illness, we know there has been mental illness throughout the ages. There is the old saying that you're perfectly ready for the last war. Right now we've been analyzing this insurgency/counter-insurgency battle, how it happens in small groups without

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  Yes, I think we do. Again, I'm going to talk about mental illness care writ large across the world, more than picking on the Canadian Armed Forces. I think we have a traditional model of face-to-face care—“I'll see you every Tuesday at nine o'clock for an hour”—and a lot of tha

National Defence committee  Something to that effect exists within most NATO countries. It applies to different degrees depending on the countries that have obligatory service versus voluntary militaries. Ultimately, most defence forces.... And it's not for mental illness, it's for physical illness. It is f

National Defence committee  We'll get you the specific figures. From the last numbers I remember, about 5,000 people leave the military every year. I think a third of them are for medical reasons. I don't know if we have the breakdown for mental illness, but we'll take that on advisement. We have the number

National Defence committee  Absolutely.

National Defence committee  We'll look at it for sure.

National Defence committee  Absolutely. It was a good question.

National Defence committee  There are many reasons. Traditionally, in most militaries and most of our allies, it's the junior members of the army, specifically the combat arms. We did see an uptick in that group, which has sort of settled down in the last few months. You can't absolutely say, but it also do

National Defence committee  I think the change is so great, to be honest with you, I have to pinch myself. I've got leaders here on this panel with me and I've had the privilege of working with the rear admiral, and the way she looks after her people.... The calls that we get are about care for our people,

National Defence committee  I'm sorry, but I didn't really get the question because the translation was a little sketchy. Could somebody just summarize it for me? I'd appreciate that, if it was directed to me.

National Defence committee  Again, I think that's a very important point. We do encourage members to include their families, but health conditions are private. If I have a health condition, and my spouse asks my doctor about it, the doctor is not going to speak to them without my permission. We encourage m

National Defence committee  No, I don't think so. The differences between male and female rates of mood, anxiety disorders, suicide attempts, addictions and those types of things are basically the same as they are in society. There's a biological difference between men and women, and that difference seems t

National Defence committee  Well, I could give an hour-long lecture on that. I do remember our travels—