Veterans Affairs committee  When was I appointed?

Veterans Affairs committee  I was appointed on November 7, 2005 by the Liberal government. I was reappointed by the Conservatives on November 7, 2007.

Veterans Affairs committee  I had been working with the department as a veteran since 1992. In fact, I helped create the New Veterans Charter, and I helped amend the Pension Act, so I'm very well aware of what Parliament expects. There were a couple of times when I was ground down by pressure of the staff,

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, even the ones when I said no.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's more. It's in the thousands.

Veterans Affairs committee  From my experience, sir, here is an example of when that works really well. I heard a case in which a young man said, “I carried a rucksack that weighed about 175 pounds”. I said to him, “Sir, with my experience, in the airborne, the heaviest I carried was between 100 and 125 p

Veterans Affairs committee  That's only on very difficult or very complicated cases. Agent Orange was a case. We received that. But with the process redesign that's coming, that will be the fact for every case that comes before the board.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely not.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's right.

Veterans Affairs committee  Just like after the fact, if we get legal opinions—those kinds of opinions—I have asked to send them out to the advocate and the applicant, and I've been told no.

Veterans Affairs committee  In that circumstance, yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  It comes down to the benefit of the doubt. If you have two equal medical opinions, the way the law is written, the benefit of the doubt goes to the one that's most favourable to the veteran. Oftentimes that's not the case, so people will push for the one that isn't favourable. If

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, we send it to them when we get it. Sometimes it takes eight months. They and the advocate will have an opportunity to rebut or agree with it and send it back. Then we'll make our decision.