Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 6th, 2023

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré]

Yes.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

You mentioned that they had sent that letter saying mid-February. Have we done any follow-up on the other stuff? Do we have any sense of when that will be available?

To me, if that's the only thing we're waiting on, it seems a shame that Veterans Affairs itself is essentially holding up our ability to produce a report at that point. That would seem like a shame.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I have a point of order.

I just don't like the phrasing. Veterans Affairs is not holding us up; the translation of a contract of 700 pages is holding us up. It has nothing to do with Veterans Affairs. It's been sent and it's being translated.

Thank you.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

I'm not sure that was really a point of order, Chair, but regardless of that, the holdup—

[Cathy Wagantall]

On a point of order—

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

The holdup in getting our report done is at Veterans Affairs, and that's a shame.

Could we not at least work on the parts of the report we could work on? I just think it would be nice to be able to get that out the door.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We will go to Mrs. Wagantall and then Ms. Blaney.

Go ahead, Mrs. Wagantall.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

I just am a little confused. When we do a report, it has to be in both official languages. Why is this report not already in both official languages?

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

It's because it's not translated. It's being translated.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

When was it created? When it's created, is it—

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I don't have the details. All I know is that it's a 700-page document that's being translated, and it's not completed. The translation is going to take some time.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

It wasn't being translated until we asked for it? I just need clarification.

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré]

[Inaudible] of certain items that have to be reviewed. I will leave the details of all that for you to handle.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We're going to do a follow-up on that with the department, because we are waiting for that in order to have our report. That's what we're going to do.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

I still have the floor, I thought. We got into some side conversations there, but I thought I still had the floor, because I hadn't ceded it.

My point was simply that I feel it would be nice to be able to get to work on that report.

Aside from waiting on the contracts, what's the status of that? I'm assuming you've been working on elements or portions of it. Are there parts that we could review, not next week but the following week?

Hold on; is next week our only week before the break? We have witnesses lined up right through to the break, so there is time then, but we should be able to look at something right after the break. Is that what your sense is?

If—

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré]

Right now the report is basically almost done. I was missing these parts.

I could send it to translation probably at the end of this week, just to organize the thing, and it may be early next week. They would tell us how long it would take to have the report back, but I think it would be feasible to have it after the break.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Great. Then we can just follow up and find out where they are with the documents.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay.

Ms. Wagantall, just before we go to you, I have Ms. Blaney.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

This is an interesting discussion. I just find it odd as well. I support what Cathay said about a contract that's not translated into both languages. I think the only thing we need to talk about is that it should be done quickly, and the analyst is a very brave and fearless person, because he has to read that 700-page contract. Thank you for doing your work; it is much appreciated.

I just want to put on the floor again that I think we have the next two meetings, and that gets us through to a break week, and then we come back for one week. I would recommend that during that time we have a subcommittee meeting to go over what our strategies and plans are moving forward. I'm really excited to see who the Liberal will be on the committee, so I'm really excited to get it to happen. I think that's where we should go.

As for the report, hopefully we'll be able to hear by next week that it's moving along quite well. That will allow us to decide what we're going to do next. I would assume that we're going to have to have closure of one of our meetings with committee business again next week.

Thank you for that, and thank you to the analysts for reading that document.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you.

I will remind all of us that we are still waiting for motions on the dates that we will discuss....

Mrs. Wagantall, the floor is yours.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Thank you.

I have a question about the witness, the one who was not able to make it today from the City of Ottawa's veterans task force. Will he be one of those witnesses in the next...?

[The Clerk]

While we were in the meeting, I was in contact with Mr. Thivierge. I offered this Thursday, but he's not available, so I suggested Monday and next Thursday. I'm waiting on a reply.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Could we ask him to be in person, since he's here in Ottawa?

[The Clerk]

It was in my request.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Okay, great. Thank you.