Parm Gill

[Veterans Affairs, November 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Veterans Transition Advisory Council met in Toronto. I would like to thank the members of the council for their commitment and dedication to assisting veterans to connect with organizations that can benefit from their skills. Our government understands the importance and the challenges that veterans face in making successful transitions from military to civilian life. The Veterans Transition Advisory Council provides an important opportunity to work together with the private sector and corporate Canada so that we may support veterans and their families through this important phase in their lives.

We will continue to reach out and collaborate with veterans and stakeholders who share our goals of helping veterans transition to find meaningful secondary careers following their service.

[The Philippines, November 25th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, killing thousands and leaving the country devastated.

As always, Canadians across the country have opened their hearts and wallets to help those affected in the Philippines in the time of need.

I have had the opportunity to attend several fundraisers, both in my riding and throughout the GTA, and the generosity of Canadians is nothing short of remarkable.

I have had many constituents ask me how they can help. I encourage them to make a donation to organizations like the Red Cross and World Vision, which are doing outstanding work on the ground in the Philippines.

For every dollar donated by individual Canadians, our government will match that donation dollar for dollar. This is in addition to the $20 million our government has already committed in aid, along with our brave men and women in uniform who are already on the ground helping in the affected areas.

The Philippines needs our help. I encourage every Canadian to continue to open their hearts and wallets and donate generously.

[Priority Hiring for Injured Veterans Act, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the kind of rhetoric we hear from the Liberal Party is absolutely unbelievable. Let me tell the members in that corner over there, the members of the Liberal Party, that there are absolutely no lessons we need to learn from them.

This is the Liberal Party that believes that giving money to veterans injured in service of Canada is, and I quote the member of the Liberal Party:

...like hanging a case of beer in front of a drunk…. They get the lump sum, they go and spend it, either trying to buy a house or buying a fast car or spending it on booze or addiction.

I would, once again, like to give the opportunity to the member opposite to apologize for his comments.

[Priority Hiring for Injured Veterans Act, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as pointed out many times before in the House, our government is committed to supporting our veterans and men and women in uniform. As a matter of fact, our government has invested almost $5 billion in additional funding since coming to office.

The question I would like to ask my hon. colleague is this: why have she and members of her party voted down virtually every single initiative that we have brought forward to support our veterans? It is about time for my hon. colleagues in the opposition parties to get on board and support the initiatives the government brings forward so we can help our veterans.

[Priority Hiring for Injured Veterans Act, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, let me first say that I will be sharing my time with the member for Etobicoke Centre.

It is a great pleasure and privilege to join in the debate today on our government's proposed changes to provide greater priority hiring opportunities for Canada's veterans.

These changes go to the core of so many Canadian values and priorities. We value devotion to duty. We value and salute those who are prepared to step forward and defend our way of life. We are grateful for the sacrifices of those who protect our shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights.

Of course, Canadians trust that their elected representatives will do everything they can to ensure that Canada's veterans are supported in every way during and after their military service. When we, as parliamentarians, accept that trust, we must also understand that it is not a simple promise entered into lightly. We cannot break faith with those who have displayed and continue to display the highest of ideals in the defence of our country and of our allies. Today we have an opportunity to further demonstrate that we are keeping our word.

As outlined earlier by the hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs, we are introducing important changes to create a five-year priority entitlement for Canadian veterans who are medically released for service-related reasons.

Before I go any further in reviewing the details regarding the proposed priority hiring of Canada's veterans, I would like to offer my congratulations and gratitude to the Minister of Veterans Affairs who continues to build upon the accomplishments of this government and his predecessor. It is that record of action that makes me so proud to serve in a government committed to ensuring that all those who wear our nation's uniform, past and present, have the care and support they need, when they need it.

As was noted in the Speech from the Throne last month, we have invested almost $5 billion since 2006 in new funding to enhance veterans' benefits, programs, and services. Through the new veterans charter, we are now providing full physical and psycho-social rehabilitation services. We are providing career transition services, financial support, health care benefits, and one-on-one case management services.

What does this all mean for a veteran?

On a practical level, as the minister has said on numerous occasions, it means many things. It means we can provide up to $75,800 in training assistance for eligible veterans to start a new career. If a veteran is too seriously injured to work again, we would transfer the vocational support to his or her spouse.

There are many other things we can do for veterans, such as helping veterans with shovelling snow from their laneways or cutting their grass, having meals prepared in their homes or delivered to their front doors, having health care professionals and a Veterans Affairs Canada case manager visit them in their own homes, and reimbursing veterans for the cost of travelling to their medical appointments.

We do all these things because we are determined to help injured and ill veterans make the best recovery possible as quickly as possible. We are also committed to ensuring veterans experience a seamless transition to civilian life.

The amendments before us build on that. With these amendments, we would create a five-year statutory priority for Canadian veterans who are medically released for service-related reasons. This change would give these veterans the highest level of consideration for jobs in recognition of their sacrifice and service to Canada.

We understand that while men and women with disabilities may no longer be able to meet the universality of service provision to continue serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, they are still capable of making significant contribution in service of their country. That is what these amendments would do, plain and simple. These amendments would allow them to continue leading and serving a great country.

Additionally, through changes that would follow in the act's accompanying regulations, full-time regular, and reserve force veterans who are medically released for non-service-related reasons would see their existing level of priority extended from two years to five years. We would make the regulatory changes retroactive to April 1, 2012, so veterans who may have lost their priority status since then are eligible again for another five full years.

I do want to be clear about one thing. These amendments would not guarantee veterans a job in the federal public service. Instead, they would ensure that qualified veterans have the highest priority for new job openings. Canada's veterans understand, given the terms and conditions of their own military careers, that there can be no guarantees about what tomorrow will bring.

However, these amendments before us do offer greater certainty. They are progressive and responsible steps forward to recognize the service and sacrifice of those who serve our country so well and who wish to continue to serve Canada after their military career has ended.

These amendments send a clear signal, a clear message, to Canada's men and women in uniform that our government places a high value on their skills, their training and their experience, and we do not want to lose that. These are skills we need to promote and retain, whenever appropriate and possible.

Put simply, these amendments are a logical reflection of our desire to keep the highly qualified individuals who have received world-class training and who have consistently demonstrated the ability to apply their skills in situations that the majority of Canadians would never face or know.

We have a potential talent pool offering demonstrated leadership and an ability to think strategically. In short, we have a group of Canadians renowned for getting the job done.

Any employer in the private or public sector would be foolhardy to ignore such skills or dismiss such potential. Our government would never make such a mistake, and we encourage other levels of government to follow our lead.

However, first we need to make good on these changes. We need to make sure they are quickly approved. We need to ensure that the Public Service Commission is a willing and enthusiastic partner, and we need to put measures in place to ensure the full intent and spirit of these changes is realized. We can do that.

Together, we can deliver further meaningful support for the men and women who have served Canada so well. I encourage everyone here to help us make it happen quickly.

[Priority Hiring for Injured Veterans Act, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the hon. minister for his hard work in bringing this piece of legislation forward to help our veterans and for his commitment and hard work toward not just the veterans but also the families of veterans.

My question for the minister is this: how does this fit into his overall vocational rehabilitation plan? He just announced an increase to $75,800 of the cap for education. Also, I understand eventually this piece of legislation will appear before the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. Could he also highlight a message he has for members of the committee as to how we would like to deal with this in an expedient manner?

[Points of Order, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, regarding the comments I made during the debate last night in the House, I would like to correct the record.

Canadian veterans can be confident that their military service record and any active Veterans Affairs files are available to veterans.

[Veterans, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how I can be any more clear. We are determined to provide the programs, benefits, and services veterans and their families need, when they need them, and our recent enhancement to the funeral and burial program proves this.

We have improved the program by more than doubling the reimbursement rate for funeral expenses and making it more flexible to meet the different religious and cultural practices of the Canadians we are serving. This is good news. These measures build on Canada's unique position as one of the few countries providing funeral and burial services for its veterans, and they increase our reimbursement rates, which were already among the most generous in the world.

In closing, I want to reassure the member opposite that it is okay for him to say, “Well done”.

[Veterans, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, there are many myths that seem to persist about the funeral and burial program for veterans, but the facts are as follows.

Our program is helping to provide a dignified funeral and burial for all veterans who die from an injury suffered while they were serving Canada. The program is also there for eligible veterans who were in financial need when they passed away.

Those are the facts. Over the years, this important program has helped tens of thousands of families through a profoundly difficult time in their lives. Canadians can be proud of that. Canadians can also be proud that their government is taking real action, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed, to make the program even better. Thanks to budget 2013, we have more than doubled the maximum reimbursement rate for funeral expenses from $3,600 to $7,376. Thanks to budget 2013, we are simplifying the program for veterans' estates, making it more flexible to reflect the religious and cultural differences of the men, women and families we serve.

These are the right changes to make, and they reflect the Government of Canada's determination to provide the support veterans and their families need, when they need it. These changes also build on the Government of Canada's record of investing in veterans and their families at record levels. Again, the facts speak for themselves.

Since we implemented the New Veterans Charter in 2006, the Government of Canada has invested almost $5 billion in new funding to enhance veterans programs, benefits and services. In the coming year alone, as we outlined in the 2013-14 main estimates, the Government of Canada is planning to spend almost $785 million more for veterans than was spent annually eight years ago. There is no disputing that we are providing an extra $785 million a year to enhance financial benefits and provide world-class rehabilitation services for injured and ill veterans. We are providing an extra $785 million a year to operate 10 specialized clinics for veterans struggling with mental health conditions, to provide career transition services valued at up to $75,800 for veterans starting new careers, and to recognize and honour all veterans and their families for their accomplishments and their sacrifices.

The funeral and burial program is an important part of our efforts. It is ensuring that Canada's veterans are laid to rest with the full respect and dignity they deserve. The program is also maintaining these gravesites in perpetuity, so that future generations of Canadians will know when they are passing by the final resting place of someone who served and sacrificed everything for our great country.

The only thing I do not understand is why the member opposite is against this.

[Privacy, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Canada does not need a heavy-handed approach that adds red tape for businesses and increases costs, which is what the NDP member opposite proposes. Our government's approach will be well thought out and will balance the privacy rights of the individual with the legitimate needs of business to access personal information.

Despite the attempts of the opposition to mislead Canadians, let me confirm that the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, PIPEDA, gives Canadian consumers important rights when dealing with their privacy being violated.

I look forward to the findings of the Privacy Commissioner's investigation into this matter and I have full confidence that Canada's privacy laws will be respected.