I have three points. First of all, once the veteran is identified there's no reason why the information required in any one of the provinces couldn't be on a standardized form. I think that's possible.
Jim mentioned another point that comes up, and I run across this all the time in the letters that come in. I mentioned the 91-year-old Hong Kong veteran who was injured; you could see the injury. It was a war injury, yet he had not associated with the Royal Canadian Legion, so he had never asked for or received any benefits. The person looking after him was a niece, but that's nobody's problem. It's a problem, but you can't point any fingers in that case, outside of the fact I think people would respond to some type of survey being done. In some way, we have to get this information.
Just in closing, Bill C-31 is on the agenda for this afternoon. I don't know whether we're going to get time to debate it further or not. Do you know the bill I'm referring to? It's a very positive bill, and I think some people will copy it. I've had lots of requests from professional firemen, professional policemen, and so on, particularly with a designated service area. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
There's one thing I'm completely sold on. When I took this bill to my caucus--and I'm sure it's true for others--once I explained what the bill was all about I had unanimity. Everybody's going to support it.
Just in closing, we still have 450,000 veterans out there, so indirectly, through the spouses and offspring, we still have a million people affected by Veterans Affairs. If it's the same in other caucuses as in my caucus, most colleagues are much younger and it's hard to get them motivated. It's a challenge for us all.
Is there some way for these 450,000...? We know we have to be able to identify them. When they come to me I ask if they are veterans, but unless they offer that information, I don't know.