Veterans Affairs Committee on May 8th, 2007

[Brian Ferguson]

Darragh is one of the godfathers of the VIP.

[Darragh Mogan]

I'll take credit for its successes, thank you.

To be eligible, you need to have one of two. One is if you had service in a war zone—so Korea, overseas service—and have low income. That's one of the gateways that we have to administer. The other one is if you have a war-related or service-related disability and that's prompting a need for long-term care. That's yet another gateway.

For spouses or survivors, there is eligibility now, and that's a continuation of a veteran's benefit. But the veteran had to have the benefit, so the circumstance that you've described, Mrs. Hinton, is not one for which we can now reach out to survivors at this stage. The health review is meant to take that on, to look at what can be done for those survivors, where the veteran, either for the reasons you've cited or other reasons, never came forward when they would have had a benefit had they come forward.

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

So you have an 84-year-old veteran right now, today, who is still doing his own shovelling or he's getting his son to help him, and his wife is still living in the home with him.

Because this is broadcast, would you agree with me that the best suggestion we could make is that if you're in that position, you run down right now and apply for the VIP before something happens to you?

[Brian Ferguson]

Certainly if they feel they could use the VIP, they should do that. In fact, I was going to make a comment prior to that that one of the things we're doing under the veterans health services review, which we shouldn't forget, that we've mentioned is this health promotion aspect.

What you're saying is absolutely right. People should be more aware of their health risks, particularly seniors. Falls prevention, for example, is something we should be very concerned about.

So I could see your issue being addressed through this health promotion concept, where we say to elderly veterans—and if some of them are listening, that's fantastic—that they should actually be quite concerned about risks like that and they should not put themselves at undue risk. If they think they need help, they should come and see Veterans Affairs.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

All right. It looks as though that wraps up our question period. I would like to thank our witnesses for appearing today.

There are some things I would like to make everybody aware of in terms of the wrap-up of today's meeting.

On Thursday, we'll be having the Gerontological Advisory Council appearing as witnesses; on Tuesday, we have Senator Roméo Dallaire; and on Wednesday, we have an informal meeting with PTSD victims, in the evening, based on what we've previously discussed.

As well, I know Mr. St. Denis asked me today about a letter to the minister that we previously discussed and that has been drafted. So at one of these opportunities, that will be presented as well.

Is there a question?

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

I have just one comment pertaining to the advice of our witnesses today.

If we're looking to put recommendations forward—it doesn't have to be a study, but recommendations—we need to gauge our time and our witnesses around it. This is now May 8, and likely within the month this place will close down. So if we're going to have something in place, I'm just suggesting that we try to monitor ourselves to get the recommendations in so that they will have those as an inclusion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Mr. Stoffer.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

A clarification. He indicated that for a veteran to get VIP he has to be of a certain income. I go back to the statement of “a Veteran is a Veteran is a Veteran”. One thing I would recommend is, regardless of income, they should be treated the same.

Thanks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Mr. Valley, did you have an interjection?

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

It's an unrelated issue.

You and I spoke about this room, and we're attempting to have the House recognize it as the veterans affairs room. I spoke to you about it. If we're successful in doing that we should make a much bigger issue of it. I would like to see us have a reception whenever it happens, whether it's in June or October, and I think we should invite all the veterans groups. We should let them participate in some of the artwork decisions. We should have a reception in one of the larger rooms upstairs and make the veterans realize how special they are, that we're going to have a room named after them in this committee. I wanted to bring that up formally before the committee that, regardless of when it happens--whether it's a month from now or six months from now--we should make the effort to bring the veterans in and make them feel we are actually listening to them.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I remember you sharing that previously with me, and I'm glad you brought that up at the committee meeting here. I think it's a grand idea, and maybe we could have a selection of art to potentially look at in one of those rooms, and, as you say, have veterans and some of the committee members, etc., participate in helping to choose what art will decorate these walls.

Mr. St. Denis.

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

When you mention art, I assume we mean the Art Bank. Is there a pictorial inventory, or on the website, where we could get--

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I don't know.

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

We don't want to look at 1,000 pieces. If we had a subset of military photos, either from the Art Bank website or from some kind of display, it would be interesting to work together and pick out some samples for them to help us. Maybe then we'd have 30 pieces in here and during the reception they could pick their six or whatever favourites and those would be the six.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I think that's a splendid idea. Do I see any interest from the clerk or the researcher?

[Michel Rossignol, Committee Researcher]

The War Museum has a collection of war art, and there is some way of looking for it through the Internet. Yes, the war art in room 362 in the East Block was obtained through the war art collection of the War Museum. So there could be some discussion with them as to what is available, because those are copies of original war art. So there could be a similar availability there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Mrs. Hinton has an interjection.

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

I think this is a wonderful idea, and I'd love to see that kind of participation.

I simply want to make a note that if the two pieces that are framed that I donated already are not used, I want them back, please.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

All right.

As well, I'd like to put it out there that it could be paintings, it could be posters, it could be pictures--it could be any of those. And maybe there are other things I haven't thought of.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

There's no end to sources out there, that's for certain.

One thing, Mr. Chairman, since we're on art...has everybody visited the Veterans Affairs site and watched the video clip there honouring our veterans? Has everybody seen that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I don't believe I have.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

The video clip on the Veterans Affairs site is a very moving video clip of basically the service through all the conflicts our veterans have had. If you haven't been to the site, it's very moving. You would like to see it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Thank you.

I think we'll now adjourn, and we'll see each other back on Thursday for the Gerontological Advisory Council.

The meeting is adjourned.