Yes, exactly.
Evidence of meeting #18 for National Defence in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was services.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #18 for National Defence in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was services.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
Yes, exactly.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Joe McGuire Liberal Egmont, PE
What about the RCMP? Is it because of the Alberta massacre and because of the shooting of the young RCMP officers? Is that part of it?
4:50 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
There, the issue of awareness is probably a big thing, a big reason we've been working closely with the RCMP over the past year, to ensure that the members know about our programs. But also, since the 1990s they have been deployed much more across the world—for example, in Haiti. So some of it also comes from having been in those operations.
4:50 p.m.
Director, Mental Health Policy Directorate, Veterans Affairs Canada
The RCMP people we are specifically referring to in this chart are people who have received a disability benefit as a result of their service with the military.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Joe McGuire Liberal Egmont, PE
Concerning the families of the RCMP, I know in particular a sister of one of the RCMP officers, who basically had to quit one of the best jobs in Queen's Park as chief of staff to one of the ministers because she couldn't deal with the death of her brother. Is she getting any kind of assistance through your clinics? Is there any outreach to the families?
4:50 p.m.
Director, Mental Health Policy Directorate, Veterans Affairs Canada
I can speak in general terms of the services we provide to families.
The families of individuals who are clients of the department have access to a variety of services. The one that's most confidential is a 1-800 service, which provides confidential counselling to family members who either have themselves experienced a mental health condition or are living with someone who has a mental health condition. We also have services for individuals who have applied for a variety of our programs, particularly in rehabilitation. The recognition there is that the family member also is part of the treatment of the client.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
Good; you're right on time. Thank you.
Mr. Lunney, and then Mr. Cannis.
March 13th, 2008 / 4:50 p.m.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the discussion so far and the valuable information you've been providing.
As an observation on the numbers you mentioned just a moment ago, it seems to show a decreasing trend, which might be very encouraging if it isn't too early to draw conclusions. There have been some significant changes made in the last couple of years with the decompression, which seems to me to be a very valuable exercise, as well as the peer support program that has come in, and education, just the fact that soldiers know there is help available and can talk it over with their colleagues on the way home. It may be early to draw conclusions, but does it seem likely that these programs are having an impact?
4:50 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
It is very hard to discuss. Actually, it's the first time that I've seen those numbers dropping.
What happened with Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, and Rwanda is that we had major increases in requests at Veterans Affairs about five years after each conflict. So as Doug Clorey was saying for Afghanistan, we will see the results at Veterans Affairs in a few years. Now, most of the people are still in the Canadian Forces. We may see a drop for a couple of years, and there may be an increase again, but it's very, very difficult.... But it's positive to see the trend slowing down. It's still growing; it's still almost at 700 out of 1,100. It's still a good percentage of our increase.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Can I come back and ask you something about the beginning of your presentation, when I thought I heard you say that Veterans Affairs has six clinics, expanding to ten, and that DND has five? I'm just trying to rationalize that, or compare slide 17, with the chart here, which shows a network of clinics across the country. If I count them up, I just see eleven there.
Are these all Veterans Affairs' clinics? Are these existing ones, or ones that are coming into being? Could you please explain this?
4:50 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
There's an error on the map.
Among the ones that exist right now, we have a clinic in Quebec City; one in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue; one in London, Ontario; one in Winnipeg; one in Calgary; and we have signed an MOU for a clinic in Fredericton, and we're looking at four new clinics across the country; and you have the five DND OTSSCs. So there's an error.
Well, I'm not sure we have the same map.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Director, Mental Health Policy Directorate, Veterans Affairs Canada
I think the chart you have there is meant to indicate that we had five OSI clinics prior to budget 2007. Those are the ones in Calgary, Deer Lodge, Parkwood, and Sainte-Anne in Quebec. Those were the five original ones. The five at the bottom are the Canadian Forces' operational trauma and stress support centres; so those are the DND ones. And also, you will see that Fredericton is one of the first of the additional five that came out of budget 2007.
4:55 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
Yes, exactly, and we'll have four more open by the end of March next year, probably.
4:55 p.m.
Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Veterans Affairs Canada
Well, the minister will announce the location as soon as we have finalized the agreements with the provincial institutions.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Thank you.
Jumping back to the beginning of the presentation, I believe Madame Gravel mentioned that there are clinical best practices clinics. Does that comment relate to all of the clinics, or are some of the clinics particularly investigating best practices with comparative studies, or what might work better?
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Ste. Anne's Hospital, Veterans Affairs Canada
Well, I would say that the centre of expertise will ensure leadership in looking at what's being done in the U.S. and Australia and California. There's a lot of research going on, and a lot of expertise has been developed all over the world. But, definitely, we have experts in those other clinics under Veterans Affairs, and the centre of expertise will work very closely with those experts in the different clinics too.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Ste. Anne's Hospital, Veterans Affairs Canada
The centre of expertise is at Sainte-Anne.
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Ste. Anne's Hospital, Veterans Affairs Canada
Yes, but Sainte-Anne will work closely with the expert psychiatrists, the colleges, and the social workers and the other clinics you see here on the map to discuss their expertise and best practices, and they will work together to develop tools and evaluation measures.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
Thanks, Mr. Lunney. That's enough for you; I'm sorry.
Mr. Cannis, and then Ms. Gallant.
