Veterans Affairs committee  Very quickly, yes, the Juno Beach Centre and Vimy Foundation are very key and important partners for us in the work we do. We are working on a policy around third parties and how to deal with that ongoing asset management issue that we have, but we are working very well with both

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. We continue to engage with that community to ensure that, because they come from other countries where their war experience is different from ours, we seek their feedback and try to make sure what we're doing is resonating with new Canadians. We're trying, and we're l

Veterans Affairs committee  Their participation is important, especially given their role in more recent conflicts. It is up to us to ensure that their contribution is commemorated.

Veterans Affairs committee  First, in our consultations on the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan, the RCMP was a key stakeholder. They participated in our consultations. As we begin to develop the commemorative content for younger veterans and for other conflicts, we need to consult with

Veterans Affairs committee  We've consulted with our commemoration advisory group, which includes groups like the Royal Canadian Legion and other veterans organizations, along with seeking feedback from key stakeholders, including youth, women's groups—

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. Key veterans groups make up part of our commemoration advisory group. We are going to be consulting on our plan using the new Let's Talk Veterans platform very shortly as well. We're broadening that engagement but focusing absolutely on making sure we have feedback

Veterans Affairs committee  No. I will ask my colleague Michael to weigh in, but I think it's the ongoing work we do with the Royal Canadian Legion across the country on some of those commemorative activities, especially, obviously, during Remembrance Day. I think Mr. Clark will say the same, that as an org

Veterans Affairs committee  If I can jump in, Mr. Chair, it's a great point. We always need to continue to be innovative and look for ways to involve families. One thing I'll highlight—and I think MP Angus will remember this—is that when we did our trip to Normandy we'd do burials. If we located remains an

Veterans Affairs committee  A key one is upcoming. Our phase two of the consultation work is coming. Rick alluded to the fact that we are down to five finalists who have been working diligently on their design concepts. They are going to be presenting those concepts to the Canadian public very shortly—in mi

Veterans Affairs committee  They will be able to look at the concepts and provide their feedback. Then we'll open it up to the public for the same. That's a key upcoming phase that we are getting into in terms of consultation. Once that happens, we will select the jury. Based on all the feedback, we'll se

Veterans Affairs committee  In terms of picking a winner, this is all going to happen within the next three to four months—in early fall. Once the winning design architect is chosen, they'll go away and work on their actual design and the actual monument. That's going to take some time. It's slated now fo

Veterans Affairs committee  If I can jump in, Mr. Chair, it's a very good question. Again, it just highlights the importance of ongoing consultation so we ensure that what we do resonates, makes a difference and recognizes younger veterans and their service and sacrifice. We are going to continue to consu

Veterans Affairs committee  Thanks, Mr. Chair. This is just to flag the fact that our focus on younger veterans and more recent conflicts is not at the expense of our work with respect to the First World War, the Second World War and the older, traditional milestones. We are expanding our scope. We are not

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. Thanks, Rick. MP Doherty, we've consulted and, as Rick alluded to, we've collaborated with the minister's commemorative advisory group. They've been a key resource but also a significant input into the development of it. We have talked to a number of other groups and socia

Veterans Affairs committee  It's an ongoing process. Again, we're going to be implementing the plan and iterating, learning and developing as we go. At this point, I'm hesitant to say when the actual final version will be done, because I think it's more important to get that valuable feedback from key audie