Veterans Affairs Committee on March 6th, 2008

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

I will.

You mentioned the Australian studies regarding cancer, health, and what was the third one?

[Les Peate]

There was a cancer study, a mortality study, and the third one was a health study.

The first was on cancer, the second was deaths from other causes, and the third was on people who didn't die but still have the—

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

The Australians did that, right?

[Les Peate]

Yes, that was the Australians.

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

Are you aware of any other country that did similar studies?

[Les Peate]

As a matter of fact, this is surprising, because they started a study in the U.K. that faded out, a similar study. Surprisingly, about the only thing the Americans have done that we can gain from, that we've used as an example for Veterans Affairs, is that they'll consider frostbite as a related ailment, because of the weather.

But the major study I think is the one the Australians did. It's certainly comprehensive and well done. Needless to say, the university was named after one of the famous Australian generals.

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

Sir, I can't speak for other provinces, but in Nova Scotia, over the past year, there have been three stories that have hit the paper where an elderly veteran was transferred to the Camp Hill Hospital and his wife couldn't be with him because the hospital is just for veterans and not for the spouses as well. Unfortunately, they couldn't make arrangements for them to be in the same room together. What they tried to do was work with the province to find a facility of comparable capability in order to have them together in the same room. Of course, the challenge we have is what is federal jurisdiction and responsibility and what is provincial.

I wonder what advice you can give us, because one of the saddest things that we hate to see is when someone has, say, six or seven months to live and they have to be separated from their spouse of over 60 years. It's not just a federal issue; it's a provincial one as well. What advice can you give us in order to move that issue forward?

[Les Peate]

One of the many hats I wear is that I'm on the veterans liaison committee for the Perley Rideau, and this situation arose. I think one of the things we must differentiate between is hospitals and long-term care.

I know in some long-term care facilities the wife can share a room, but in others they can't.

Honestly, as to why and why not...I do know we had a case at the Perley of an air force veteran whose wife's presence was refused at first, but later on they relented and she did share a room with him. Further than that, I couldn't say.

You might like to get in touch with Cliff Chadderton at War Amps. I think they could answer that one.

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

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Thank you, Mr. Stoffer.

Now we'll go to the Conservative Party of Canada, to Mr. Devolin for five minutes, if he wishes.

[Barry Devolin, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I won't need the whole five minutes.

I'm a substitute here today, but it's fortuitous, because I am the government liaison with the Korean community in Canada and I chair the Canada-Korea interparliamentary group. So when I saw that someone from the Korea Veterans Association of Canada would be here—

[Les Peate]

I guess you know my friend Jon Jennikins quite well.

[Barry Devolin, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

I do, and I had the opportunity earlier this year to attend the dedication of the Korean War Memorial in Burnaby, B.C., which took place last spring.

When I lived in Pusan, Korea, about 10 years ago, each day on my way to work I would pass by the UN cemetery, which is the only UN cemetery in the world. There are, I believe, 300 Canadians buried there.

So I briefly want to say, as have many of my colleagues, thank you to you and to other veterans who have served Canada.

The Korean War has been referred to as the forgotten war, but I actually think more and more Canadians are learning, even in recent years, about the Korean War, about the contribution Canada made, and are appreciating Korean War veterans more than maybe you have been in the past. I think that's a good thing, because you certainly deserve that, so thank you.

[Les Peate]

That's rather interesting, because I found there's an increasing awareness. I talk to schools, as many veterans do. We always go in veterans week, of course. This is an almost routine thing: you bring in a veteran and that sort of thing.

But now a number of schools are asking me to go and talk specifically about the Korean War. Apparently, some people are including it in their history curriculum, which is something. It wasn't....

You've obviously seen the memorial we have, not the national war memorial, but the one that's a little bit farther along, which has a plaque with the names of all the.... There's a further thing: we're having somebody from the Korean bureau of patriots and veterans affairs coming over for a year, so you'll probably be meeting him.

[Barry Devolin, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Oh, great, thank you.

That's all I have, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Okay. Well, I think at this stage we've exhausted our list of questioners.

I thank you very much for your presentation today. I learned a great deal about the situation, the police action, war, and what have you in Korea. You've given us some things to think about.

Please forgive me, as we have a couple of matters of committee business we would like to deal with before votes happen and then the bells start ringing in about 15 minutes. So I'll just carry on. You're welcome to sit and observe if you wish.

We'll go right into business then. We have a notice of motion from Mr. Stoffer. We discussed this two meetings ago, but then Mr. Stoffer decided to bring it up at this one rather than the meeting just past.

I'm going to read it for the edification of our members here so everybody knows.

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

Mr. Chair, I normally wouldn't do this, but just while Mr. Peate is packing up.... We already did it for one, and I think it would be a worthy expense for this committee. Could I seek unanimous consent for a motion that enough copies be purchased of Mr. Peate's book for every member of the committee?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I think that would be.... It's certainly a valid motion. Is there any debate on the subject?

The clerk has just spat a bunch of gobbledygook at me about technicalities, but I don't sense there's any debate or any objection, so I think that's passed. Is that fair?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Does that take care of that, Mr. Clerk?

I sense the clerk clearly understands.

There you go, Mr. Peate. You're going to have a few more of us apprised of your book and maybe some royalties coming your way.

Thank you, Mr. Sweet.

I just want to make sure I read Mr. Stoffer's motion so we can talk about this:

That in relation to its study on PTSD, Veterans Independence Program and Health Care Review, the Committee on Veterans Affairs travel to Cyprus to gain a thorough understanding of the decompression period for troops returning to Canada from Afghanistan.

That is the nature of the motion. Do we have any discussion?

Mr. Stoffer.

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

For the committee, as you know, we tried an earlier motion to go to Afghanistan, and unfortunately the powers that be suggested not. So this is sort of a compromise in a way.

In the four-city tour we did and in the next two cities that we will do, I'm sure we'll hear the same evidence, that every one of the returning soldiers who had the opportunity to go to Cyprus for decompression thought that was the greatest thing, thought that was really fabulous. It really helped them out and gave them that chance to catch their breath and, as one guy said, have a bunch of beer.

So I thought it would be really interesting for a committee in our study of post-traumatic stress and other ailments to look at how that actually works. When they come back from the war zone, they go into Cyprus. How are they set up? What forms do they fill out? What discussions do they have?

Eventually they'll become veterans. How does that process help them and their families in dealing with some of the future problems they may have? That's why I moved the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Fair enough. Thank you, sir.

We have a list beginning. We have Mrs. Hinton first, then Monsieur Perron. Please notify us if you wish to be added to the list.

Mrs. Hinton.

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

I can understand why Mr. Stoffer would be interested in pursuing this, but from my personal perspective, I think the very last thing soldiers who are going through the decompression system need is a group of politicians asking them questions, when they're trying to go through a very sensitive time period.

I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to support the motion, but I certainly understand the sentiment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Okay. Over to Mr. Perron of the Bloc Québécois.

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

It would be really nice to get a paid trip to Cyprus and then stay maybe an extra week or two to visit Greece, but I think it really would be sticking our nose into something that doesn't concern us.

When a soldier goes to Cyprus to decompress, he is not yet a veteran. Would we be going to Cyprus to get into fights and throw beer bottles at English restaurant owners, as happened recently?

I think this is a pointless expense. It would be very instructive and enjoyable to go there, but I am reluctant because that is the army's job, not the job of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. Those soldiers are actually still part of the army.

That being said, I would love to take a trip there and see whether the water is nice and warm.

We will be voting against this motion.