Yes.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
Currently I'm on earnings loss benefit, which is the same program I was on before. I was placed on earnings loss benefit in 2010. At the time, the benefit was only 75% of my pre-release salary.
12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
So I'm receiving the bottom amount of that. With the SISIP clawback class action being settled, the clawback on the earnings loss benefit has stopped, so now I receive my pension act benefits on top.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Your time is up.
Mr. Berry, do you want to conclude what you were saying?
12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
In terms of retraining, I've just started down the road with CanVet. I will note that, although I've been out of work for almost four years, I've never once been designated as permanently impaired or totally incapacitated. I'm not entitled to those benefits because, at 39%, I don't meet the threshold to move forward.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Thank you, Mr. Berry.
Now to wrap up, Mr. Karygiannis, you have four minutes please, sir.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Thank you, Chair.
You're aware that nine VAC centres are being closed. The minister said that we're going allow one case manager to be in. I understand from sources that it's going to be only for three months. Here we've got a government that is spending $3 million more per year for travel, ministerial travel, than any other government before, and we're shutting down VAC centres. The Prime Minister's Office is increasing staff salaries by 7% and we're saying to you that we're going to stick it to you.
How long do I have, Chair?
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I just want to make sure that you feel that we're doing right by you. When someone is in a work situation—working 9 to 5—if there is something that is not proper, if they don't feel that it's safe, they don't do it. But in the job that you went to and you signed on the dotted line for—and you certainly believed in serving this country—you go from 9:01 a.m. to 8:59 a.m. the next morning, and there's no “I'm not going to do it”. There's no “I'm not safe”. You're told to do something and up you charge, or you do it because you feel it's the right thing to do for your country.
Can you actually compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges? Here we've got the government spending $3 million more per year for the ministers to travel and 7% in an increase for the Prime Minister's staff, and yet we're sticking it to you.
How do you feel about that?
12:45 p.m.
President, Equitas Society
I'm going to say one thing here. As Mr. Gill and others have stated, there's this umbrella of money being spent in Ottawa here—
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I'm sure, Mr. Scott, you'd agree that the umbrella is money that's upfront in lump sum payments to the soldiers. We're not sure how much of the $5 billion is towards that. I bet you that 80% of that is towards that. It's front-end loaded.
12:45 p.m.
President, Equitas Society
We were just going to say that how we're measuring the effectiveness of the new Veterans Charter is to see what actually goes to the individual people. This is sometimes where we're at a disconnect. The courts are going to look at what goes to individual people, what benefit they have as individuals, and not the global money that is being spent.
In that case, we keep on talking about what individual soldiers and their families receive. Very often the push-back that we get is, ”Well, we're spending a hell of a lot of money here in Ottawa; so these people should really not be coming here with their hand out so much because there's a lot of money going into the program”.
The remedy Mr. Sorochan advises clients to resolve this issue will be, when those clients are at equality with what other Canadian workers and other soldiers are making....
As we continue to say, it's irrelevant what is being spent, unless we see it come to the actual soldiers, because the only way we can recommend to disband the legal proceeding is just when the individual clients have what's equal to other—
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Scott, I want to ask the three servicemen.
Do you think your government is truly representing you? Do you think that truly your government is looking after you today?
12:45 p.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Mr. Karygiannis has every right to ask the question, but I always say to the witnesses that if you wish to answer, you may. If not, you don't have to.
Mr. Karygiannis, your time is up.
Gentlemen, do you wish to respond?
12:50 p.m.
Equitas Society Veterans Council
I think everyone is here doing their job. It's a complex world, however, and PTSD goes on forever. Every day is a new day. I'm 40 years old. I got in after working construction for 15 years. I argue and fight with anybody who I see doing something that could kill others.
What was the question?
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Is your government doing the best for you in representing you? Do you feel we're doing the best for you, or are we letting you down?
12:50 p.m.
Equitas Society Veterans Council
The message is building.
A year ago I started talking to fellows and educating people online. More and more people are starting to come forward. We hear about all these suicides because guys on the bases let people know right away. It's escalating, unfortunately. It's inevitable.
I think the message is—
12:50 p.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Gentlemen, on behalf of the committee and everybody else in this room, including all your fellow veterans, we can't thank you enough for taking the time to come to Ottawa to present your case. Also, I would invite you to listen to further testimony in the new year. As you know, the House will rise this week, but this committee will resume its testimony in January or February of next year.
We encourage each of you, if you have further testimony, documentation, or anything else that will help our committee in its deliberations, to forward it. We would be more than honoured to receive it.
We'll be going in camera in a moment. At this time we're going to close for one minute to say goodbye to our witnesses. On behalf of all of us, thank you very much for coming.
[Proceedings continue in camera]
