Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 23rd, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

I'll open it up for questioning.

We were talking about that in the planning for Ste. Anne's too. It benefits some people, but then it becomes a detriment to others, depending on where they're coming from. I'm certainly open. I think we had left it loose for a time period in April; I don't think we ever discussed a specific day.

Is there any other conversation on this?

Mr. McColeman.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Would we be planning this while the House is sitting? I know there's a two-week break in April for constituency work.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

I don't have the blues in front of me, but I believe we initially planned this for a regular meeting day.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Good. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Mr. Andrews and then Mr. Stoffer.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

I think it would be easier for our scheduling if we planned our own itinerary. That's my comment on which budget we should choose.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

If we have the charter we're basically all on one flight. That's $31,000.

The clerk has made the good point that once you begin to plan your own itinerary, it goes off your MOB, not the committee's. If we're going on a trip like this, you pretty well follow the group.

We're such a good group. We like to stick together.

Mr. Stoffer.

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

I find the best day to leave without interrupting too many other things is Wednesday. We all have our caucus mornings and then it's question period and then we have our committee afterwards. That's basically most of our days. So without disrupting all the other things we do, in my experience the best day for one-day travel is Wednesday.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Mr. Kerr.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

I think we were trying to do it on a committee day, so that would probably fit. When we first talked it was going to be on a regular committee day, so it would be when the House is sitting, for one thing.

I really think we should go as a group from here. It takes the pressure off the whips as well if we're all going together. And I agree totally with the charter flight. We can get down there, get the business done and get back. It's still a fair chunk of change to get us there and back.

And before we finalize, I assume we're going to have a full agenda so we aren't just going sightseeing.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

That's correct. A bit of our conversation is preliminary in the sense that we haven't got anything from Veterans Affairs. We're hoping they will be able to fit in whatever they're going to show us within that timeframe for the charter flight.

Mr. Gaudet.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I would like to know how long it takes to fly from here to Prince Edward Island.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

It's about an hour and 40 minutes. It depends when the charter plane leaves.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

In my opinion, if we want to be able to talk to those who work there, we should not spend too much time in buses or planes. Personally, I would prefer staying there for two days. Otherwise, it would just be a flying visit, a bit like Mr. Obama's trip here last week. I would ask you to consider that. I will leave it up to you to decide. I will respect the consensus. We could leave Wednesday morning and be back in time for the Thursday afternoon committee meetings.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you, Monsieur Gaudet.

Mr. Stoffer.

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

Mr. Gaudet, I've been there twice, and really what takes most of the time is the discussion with VRAB. Most of it is introductory, and then they explain the building and why it's there. Then you go into the casework files on people from across the country who are calling in. They show you how they process them and how they go from this desk to that desk. That takes about two or three hours. What takes most of the time is the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. A lot of you will have questions about what happens when someone is denied, and how that is judged based on someone's experience or whatever. That usually takes up a lot of time, because they get quite defensive about that.

That leads me back to my statement earlier. I know I'm bootlegging here, but I had asked the deputy minister a question before—and I was hoping she would have responded to us by now—on the number of people in VRAB who have a medical or military background. We haven't received that information yet. Is it possible to remind her that we asked her that question? Hopefully we can get that information from her.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

We'll do that follow-up.

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

So you only really need one day, Mr. Gaudet, to be honest with you, and you'll be happy. You may not like the answers, but you should be satisfied. They're nice people.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Is there any more dialogue on that? No?

Am I to understand that the consensus is that you'll pursue the one day? It still, of course, is contingent upon whips and contingent upon getting the budget passed at the other committee.

Would we be looking for the last Wednesday of April, if I may suggest a date? The House will be back then. Does that make sense?

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

Sure.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

So that would be April 29. We'll target for that. If we have any issues, then I will advise you.

Agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Did we pass out an itinerary for Ste. Anne's? It's on the way here.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have one last point regarding March 30. We will be leaving for Ste. Anne's at 8:30. Where will we be leaving from--the Centre Block?

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Tilly, why don't you raise that? You had a concern about the day.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Monday is a difficult day when everyone's travelling to get there, I thought .