Veterans Affairs committee  It's really hard to say. I would certainly say it's our work on mental health and the continuing research, the life after service study, and also the very extensive work we've commenced with electronic information transfer. As you know, the Auditor General did raise a concern abo

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, they already exist. There are one or two of them. In Vancouver, the partner is the organization Wounded Warriors. It's the same thing in Montreal—we are also working in partnership with Wounded Warriors. In addition, each local office works with police officers, homeless or

Veterans Affairs committee  I want to begin by specifying that there are a few initiatives. We have pilot projects in three locations in Canada—one in Vancouver, one in Toronto and one in Montreal. In addition, there are many initiatives at local offices, such as the district office in Halifax. A week ago,

Veterans Affairs committee  Those are our offices, but there are some differences in the initiatives. For instance, in Vancouver, the process is slightly different. In addition to the district office on Robinson Street, we have a small office in the Veterans Memorial Manor, in Downtown Eastside, one of the

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll start, Mr. Chair. One of my concerns—and something we always have to look at—is to make sure that we actually deliver on what we commit to. I'll speak for Veterans Affairs. We have wonderfully dedicated staff who come to work every day to do things for veterans. Our staff

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, first of all, I would expect that the action plan will be coming forward in a matter of days. Number two, with respect to the action plan, I'm comfortable there are sufficient resources in the department to act on the items that will be in the action plan.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'd like to give a little context if I could, Mr. Chair. We stood these things up very quickly, the Canadian Forces and VAC. We started off by putting a couple of employees on a base. Today, as we sit here, I have over 100 employees who actually go to work in an integrated person

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I'll take the first crack at that. I spend time visiting field offices. I also visit Canadian Forces bases and wings, and Admiral Smith does likewise. We sometimes note things that are what we might say are imperfections in how we're dealing with some of the issues.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would just echo the comment that it is about continuous improvement. Do we get every case right every day? I'd like to say yes, but I have 2,000 employees in 60 locations across the country, and we learn from the feedback we get from veterans. Some of the best learning occurs

Veterans Affairs committee  First of all, as I noted, the minister will be coming forward with an action plan that will go beyond what the Auditor General has suggested. With regard to the transition, I'd like to point out that with regard to the work of the Auditor General and all the recommendations, whi

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll start, and Admiral Smith can jump in. In terms of the process itself, it's an iterative approach. It's an approach that's built on each side providing input, based on what we see the needs are. I want to be very clear that while we have our steering committee twice a year,

Veterans Affairs committee  The world is changing quickly. We need to evolve as a committee. We need to look at what the current pressures are and at the environment in which we operate. When the committee started off back in 1999, it was fairly rudimentary. I would like to think that we've learned some t

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Casey, I'd like to respond two ways. First of all, Mr. Chair, as the minister has said, there is an action plan that will be coming forward. Second, with regard to the clarification, as is noted in our reply to the Auditor General in January 2012, steps were put in place to

Veterans Affairs committee  The action plan is actually ongoing as part of our transformation process. As I've testified, and as I think some of my staff have testified at this committee, our transformation agenda is five years. Improvement of case management is one of the pillars of it. We have taken ongoi

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I'd like to respond to that by saying that first of all, part of access to the case manager is easier access to a more modern telephone system to facilitate that. Second, I just want to make some clarifications with regard to case management and with regard to Prince