Evidence of meeting #72 for Veterans Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was leadership.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:45 p.m.
Founder and Director, Veteran Farm Project Society
That is one barrier that we are facing. We are now in a world where gas prices are incredibly high and driving is expensive. We are a province of very few people but a lot of veterans. I have always thought—and I've been advocating this—that if a woman is the VAC rehab program and she is allowed to put in a claim for her medical appointments that are a distance away, why can we not authorize VAC case managers to give the same accessibility to informal peer support that benefits them holistically?
I never let anyone leave without something. If we could break the barrier of financial burden, we might see even more women take the drive to the farm.
It's only a hope.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you very much.
Now we'll go to the last round of questions, for a total of 15 minutes. We're going to end at 6:05 p.m.
I'd like to start with Mr. Richards for five minutes, please.
5:45 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
Thank you.
I have another question for Ms. Miller, and one more for Ms. Turmine. But I'd like to raise a point first.
You'll remember that at the beginning of the meeting we had discussion about supplementary estimates and the need to have the minister come. The committee is no longer meeting before Christmas. There's been some discussion among all of the parties here, and I believe we have unanimous consent for an amended version of the motion that I submitted. I want to move that now for unanimous consent, hopefully, and we can come right back to the questions. It would just amend the date to December 12.
I move that pursuant to the order of reference of Thursday, November 9, 2023, the Minister of Veterans Affairs appear before the committee for two hours to consider the Supplementary Estimates (B) on or before Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
I move it because I understand we have consent from all parties to move it and have it dealt with quickly.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Can I ask for one point of clarification? When Mr. Richards says “two hours”, does he mean one hour with the minister and one hour with officials?
5:45 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
It's my understanding that this was the intention of the minister—to come for an hour and have her officials appear for the other hour. My preference in the motion would be to have two hours, but as per usual, if the minister determines that's how she's going to do the two hours, that's what she'll do.
5:45 p.m.
Blake Edwards
Well, I need unanimous consent.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Hang on a second, now. If you want unanimous consent, it should be an hour and an hour. I can imagine that someone's going to jam the minister by saying she defied the committee by not coming for two hours. I don't want to be in that position.
5:45 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
My discussion was otherwise, but if that's the only way we're going to have unanimous consent, we do need to have the minister here. We'll accept what we have to accept.
5:50 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
5:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
So there is unanimous consent. Excellent.
Thank you.
Mr. Richards, please go to your questions.
5:50 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
Thank you very much. I appreciate that we were able to deal with that quickly. Thanks to all the committee members for their co-operation.
I have a question for you, Ms. Miller.
In our earlier round, when we were having our exchange, you had mentioned that inflation was causing some of the need for the use of your programs. Is that something you've noticed increasing in the last number of years? You started in 2018, I believe. Since that time have you seen a higher demand based on inflation and other things for your services?
5:50 p.m.
Founder and Director, Veteran Farm Project Society
Could you repeat the beginning of the question? I couldn't hear you.
5:50 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
You mentioned earlier that inflation was driving a lot of the food insecurity that you were seeing and trying to address. I'm wondering if you have seen, as a result of inflation, a greater demand for your services.
I'd add a second part to that. Have you found it more difficult to provide your programs as a result of that inflation as well?
5:50 p.m.
Founder and Director, Veteran Farm Project Society
Inflation is something that I feel personally. Through anecdotal evidence of what is happening in Nova Scotia, everything is more expensive. I think we can agree that when we go into the grocery store now, we see that everything is more expensive, which in turn makes everything we do more expensive. In turn, this means that we need more funding to make the project continue.
It's a vicious cycle. I think it will end when the world starts to make sense again. However, that is just what I know personally as a woman who lives in rural Nova Scotia and just sees the changes that are happening to the other organizations that we support as far as getting products from them goes. It's just something that we have to live with and something we have to adjust for, and that's what we do.
5:50 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
Thank you for the work you do. Sometimes it does require people to step up when the government isn't stepping up. We appreciate that.
Madame Turmine, in regard to the mental health services that you're providing coast to coast, I wonder if you could tell me if you've encountered any issues with veterans who haven't been able to receive referrals to your services with the changeover to the new insurance provider from VAC. Is that something you've experienced? Can you tell me anything about that?
5:50 p.m.
Operation manager, Quebec, Veterans Transition Network
We do in fact have a number of concerns on that score. Since the change in service provider, getting funding has become very complicated. When people are accepted into the program, I or the coordinators prepare the applications for the Department of Veterans Affairs. We automatically submit an application for the department to fund a veteran's participation. Apparently, quite a few case managers aren't exactly sure what they should be asking us. It used to go much more smoothly.
I'd like to digress briefly back to your first question about inflation. Inflation has certainly affected us because all our programs are free to all veterans. However, everything, including food, has become more expensive at the hotels where we hold our programs and activities. Our costs for providing these programs free of charge to all Canadian veterans are therefore much higher.
We'd like to be better informed about what this new service provider wants from us in funding applications for participants.
5:50 p.m.
Conservative
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
I have two quick follow-ups on that.
First, have you seen any other issues as a result of that changeover to the new provider, besides what we've just discussed? Second, it sounds like you're saying there needs to be better communication with service providers like you. Do you have other suggestions to improve that?
5:55 p.m.
Operation manager, Quebec, Veterans Transition Network
We are independent from the government. We are recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada and we do incredible work on behalf of veterans.
We give them tools that allow them to do a better job of managing the transition to civilian life, and they are grateful. It changes their lives. I've seen some veterans whose faces have changed. Taking our program changed their lives.
We have been in existence for 25 years now, providing these programs that have been specifically designed for men and women. We are recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada, but getting funding from them has become extremely complex.
Better communication is needed with this new service provider and with all the case managers who work with organizations like ours. We need a clearer idea of what they require from us to provide this funding.
We need this funding to keep going. We get it in the form of donations from the public and from the veterans themselves, but we also need government support.
5:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Ms. Turmine.
I'm giving the floor now to Mr. Randeep Sarai.
You have five minutes, please.
5:55 p.m.
Liberal
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all the members for their great testimony and for sharing their experiences.
My first question is for Ms. Hall, who's served at E Division, which is in my riding. I don't know if you were at Heather Street or at the Surrey office or both. You probably ended up overlapping at both if you had a tenure there for that long.
What I want to know is this: If you've stayed in touch with some of your colleagues at E Division, has the culture changed much from the time you left until now? Have there been any improvements? We've had female members as heads of the commission now in E Division as well.
I'm just wondering if there has been progress. Has it been going in the right direction?
