Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for that question, and the answer is yes. In fact, we just recently had a ceremony at the National War Memorial to recognize the anniversary of that service. We have recently built additional learning and educational materials and have shared that with educators across the country.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are a lot of opportunities. First, I would say make sure that women veterans and women in service are well represented in the commemorative and recognition activities that we undertake today and to make adjustments to that programming. As the minister was saying earlier, we will soon have a women veteran council, and this will be one of the items I would like to seek a lot of feedback on about would be meaningful for that community.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for that question. It does slightly depend on the size of the engagement. For example, the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy will be quite a large event for the international community. There will be tens of thousands of individuals participating.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you so much for that question. We recognize that if you asked an average Canadian what they envision or think of when they hear the word “veteran”, they might think about a World War II veteran or a veteran of the Korean War, but Canada has 460,000-plus veterans here, many from modern conflicts.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm sorry. I have lots to say. My apologies.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. Thank you very much for the question. The proposed allocation of $4 million in the budget presents, as you've noted, a very valuable opportunity to honour and recognize the diverse contributions and experiences of our veterans. This will enable us to implement a range of commemorative initiatives.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not aware of any involvement.

Veterans Affairs committee  Members of the Prime Minister's Office and of the Privy Council Office were part of a general discussion about the topic, along with Canadian Heritage officials and Veterans Affairs Canada officials.

Veterans Affairs committee  It was the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Affairs committee  I've not been in any meeting where I saw any odd involvement whatsoever.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct. As with any other file of consequence or importance such as this one, we would update both the Privy Council and the Prime Minister's Office.

Veterans Affairs committee  Unfortunately, we've heard those stories as well. As part of commemoration recognition at all of our events, initiatives and activities, women veterans are well represented. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, we have built more learning modules and updated previous learning modules that are pushed out to educators across the country.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. We are working with the Canadian Armed Forces—as I'm sure this committee heard before—to improve the transition process. A VAC case manager at the appropriate time of release works with a CAF case manager to ensure individuals are aware of the benefits and services they're currently receiving from the Canadian Armed Forces.

Veterans Affairs committee  —that they do cover the costs of medical experts.