Veterans Affairs committee  It comes down fundamentally to what my presentation was about.

Veterans Affairs committee  People are not following the spirit and intent of the legislation.

Veterans Affairs committee  They're not following from the charter on down with this new Veterans Charter. Access is so simple. When I first joined the board, hearings were 10 minutes. We would give an introductory comment, and we'd say what's missing. What's missing is your link to service, or we don't hav

Veterans Affairs committee  There's not enough time left in a day.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would like to add to that. When the agreement was made that currently serving members of the Canadian Forces would be able to draw disability benefits while they were in, there was an agreement between National Defence and Veterans Affairs that National Defence would do all the

Veterans Affairs committee  I adjudicated over 5,000 claims approximately with the veterans review and appeal board. I can tell you that the premise of the new Veterans Charter, there are three access points. One is with the Pension Act disability, the other one is with the part 3 lump sum, and the other on

Veterans Affairs committee  I agree with what Sean said, and I would add that we need to retrain the adjudicators at both Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. The application process is dead simple. I know there have been articles put out on it, but all you need is a connection to se

Veterans Affairs committee  You know we had these same discussions back in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the exact same topics. Suicide was one of them, and now we have this one about family. We have to be listened to.

Veterans Affairs committee  I can jump in on that one. I don't know if we have the same translation of incremental. The lump sum was a solution to a problem that didn't exist. The lump sum is the most controversial part of the new Veterans Charter. People say that this is better than the old regime. There

Veterans Affairs committee  And that's fine, and those people weren't at the table with me when this was happening, and it was just pure discrimination between Canadian Forces and World War II veterans. I did propose that we extend the benefits and programs of the World War II Veterans Charter to Canadian F

Veterans Affairs committee  If I could jump in, you ask an excellent question. I apologize, but my French is not good enough for me to answer that question in your language. That was a priority with the Canadian Forces advisory council, those very questions that you're asking, from what I've heard earlier

Veterans Affairs committee  Honourable Chair, committee members, thank you very much for the privilege of presenting before you. I'm here with mixed emotions because my case of abuse is still ongoing with the government and I think it's horrible. However, I will do my best to present and stick to the facts

Veterans Affairs committee  Through Can LII, absolutely, for the simple reason that you're only getting a vetted version of what should be out there. I'm sure you won't see one of my decisions out there. I'm very sure of it. The reality is that they should be out there, because I've not granted some as we

Veterans Affairs committee  The name of the members should be on there because I tell you, when the members saw their names on some of the decisions that came out in the media, they paid close attention and they changed the way they did business for a while.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much. That will be up to the minister and the Prime Minister.