Veterans Affairs Committee on May 30th, 2006

[Victor Marchand]

I'm not privy to any sort of strategic plan or new strategic plan with regard to moving the backlog.

What I can attest is.... Any government's determination to make sure the vets don't wait.... And I see and I sense this in the new government, clearly.

For the board, it's a question of getting its complement back up to its regular force using the new appointment process, to make sure we meet what we know will be a great demand for review hearings this fall. The Bureau of Pension Advocates has already advised us that they want at least eight boards per week this fall, and we want to put those board members to work.

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Can I ask you one other really quick question? Again, if you haven't sat on this board before, you may not be aware of it. What's the approximate cost of your department?

[Victor Marchand]

It's not approximate; it's $13.1 million. We get $9.4 million to work with. Our unit cost has to be the lowest of all the administrative tribunals in this country, I think. The last time I calculated it, I merely divided $9.2 million by 6,500 cases, and it was something in the area of $1,400 per decision.

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you.

[Victor Marchand]

Workers' compensation is $5,000, $3,000. We are flying on fumes, if you ask me.

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I only raised the question....

Oh sorry, my time's up.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Now over to Mr. Perron.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Should I call you Mr. Marchand or “Maître” Marchand?

[Victor Marchand]

Mister is fine.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

You seem to be a really good salesman.

There is another question that concerns me. As you know, under the new Veterans Charter, veterans have the right to receive lump-sum payments for the purposes of disability compensation.

[Victor Marchand]

Yes.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Are the former version and new version of the Charter similar? Do you have the same Charter as the Department? Have major changes been made? How many cases will you have to adjudicate? I have the feeling there will be a lot of appeals and that the decisions won't necessarily suit people. You may offer $100,000 to someone who wants $150,000, or $10,000 to someone who wants $75,000. We're talking about money. So, the appeals will increase the number of cases the Board has to hear over the coming year.

I'd be interested in hearing your comments on that.

[Victor Marchand]

There is no doubt the new Charter offers an entire range of new services that did not exist previously. The new compensation system focusses on people's well-being, as opposed to lump sum payments.

On the other hand, the new system does provide for lump-sum payments for suffering, pain and inconvenience, and these payments are made in the form of a single, one-time amount, rather than a short- or long-term disability pension. Under program modernization, that part can be appealed to the Board.

So, we will indeed have new cases and new claims.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Do you have a table setting out the amount paid for a broken knee, a torn-off ear or other injuries?

[Victor Marchand]

Yes, the Table of Disabilities.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Do you have that table?

[Victor Marchand]

I don't, but you can find it on the Department's website. It's easy to access and brand new, Mr. Perron. A new table was published on April 1, 2006.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

It's on the Department's website?

[Victor Marchand]

Yes, on the Department of Veterans Affairs website, under Table of Disabilities.

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Good. I thought you were talking about your own organization. I'm having a lot of trouble distinguishing you from the Department of Veterans Affairs. I would so like to be able to separate the two of you.

[Victor Marchand]

Would you like to move us?

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

No.

I would like to pass on some of the comments I've been hearing, and tell it straight from the heart.

[Victor Marchand]

Oh, yes!

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

There are people suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome who come to see me at my office, including members of the Armed Forces. Perhaps their view is not an accurate one -- I am not here to judge -- but these people tell me that when they go to the Department of Veterans Affairs, they are represented by people in the Department and have the sense that they are the underdogs in the system, to use their term. If they don't agree with the decision, they appeal. Once again, government or departmental employees -- I'm talking about you -- hear their arguments. They tell me that even the lawyers are paid by the Department.

Veterans who are represented before the Board have the feeling they are the underdogs. When they're represented in the Federal Court, again they have the sense that they are the underdogs having to fight the big federal machine. These are the veterans themselves telling me this.

For that reason, I tend to think that if your Board came within the purview of the Department of Justice, rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, people might have a different perspective. It might not change the decisions in any way, but at least there would be the appearance that average Canadians and veterans were being treated fairly.

I don't know whether you are understanding my message or my cry from my heart. I'm not criticizing here. This is what people have told me and I'm only passing that along to you. I have tried to describe how they feel about their dealings with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Board, the Federal Court, the Appeal Court...

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Pardon.