Evidence of meeting #72 for National Defence in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was reservists.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Christine Moore NDP Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Thank you.
I have two questions, and my colleague Mr. Larose will then have a question for you.
5:10 p.m.
Manager, Disbursements and Community Outreach, True Patriot Love Foundation
Yes.
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Christine Moore NDP Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
So I was saying that my colleague will also have a question for you, and then we will allow you time to answer.
My first question is a technical one. I took a quick look at your website. The French site is not as complete as the one in English. Not all the same information is there. When do you expect the website to be equivalent in French and English?
My second question is more general. What are you doing to reach the reservists and offer them your services? There are no family resource centres when someone is a reservist in a remote area. What are you doing to reach them and offer services, both to the reservists and to their families?
I will let Mr. Larose ask his question.
5:10 p.m.
NDP
5:10 p.m.
Manager, Disbursements and Community Outreach, True Patriot Love Foundation
Regarding the website, we are working on it. We have already added the funding application form and the FAQs. So we are working to get it done as soon as possible. That is the best answer I can give you at the moment.
On the question of reservists, I recently spoke with representatives of the 30 resource centres for military families across Canada, and that is a need that is often mentioned. I am talking about the need to reach reservists and their families who are in remote areas and not on a military base. Some people from the resource centres have said they would need an employee whose job would be to reach these people or look after funding for programs. When reservists or their families arrive on the base or in the region, the programs would be used to form a welcoming committee to show them that resources are available. Someone would communicate with them regularly.
I have not seen any stable programs anywhere in the country whose goal is to reach reservists in remote areas. However, the resource centre in London has two satellite offices: one in Hamilton and one in Windsor. Its representatives have just applied for funding to keep the satellite office in Windsor open so they can have access to all the reservists and young people attending university in the Windsor region, who otherwise would not have access to these services.
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am going to make a comment rather than ask a question.
I applaud what you are doing. In addition to my duties on this committee, I am the NDP philanthropy critic. I think what you are doing is extraordinary and all soldiers deserve this, given all the sacrifices they make.
However, there is one thing that concerns me about your foundation. You were invited today by the government, and surprisingly, each time the committee wants to tackle the problems that exist at the Department of National Defence, the government paints a somewhat rosy picture of the situation. Why do they do that? We wonder about this all the time. It may be to distance itself, as we saw earlier with the ombudsman.
As well, although I think your initiative is extraordinary, I do not think it is reasonable for soldiers to beg for money, given all the services they perform. They have to beg for money because they are excluded from those services while they are on active duty and again after they complete their service. The government is shirking its responsibilities. On the one hand, it does not want to admit anything, in committee, but on the other hand, it recognizes your importance and everything you are putting in place. Honestly, I am very embarrassed today, and I will tell you why.
I am not a member of the government, but that may change in 2015. In any event, I would like to apologize to you, in all sincerity, because I don't think the situation is at all reasonable. On the one hand, it recognizes everything they do, but on the other hand, there needs to be a foundation to help them. That is a major failure, seriously.
Honestly, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do.
Thank you.
5:15 p.m.
Managing Director, True Patriot Love Foundation
Could I respond to that?
No matter what area, we can always think of ways that government could be doing more. I'm not really judging whether they should be or not.
One of the things that I would say is that if you've ever been to one of our tribute dinners.... Our tribute dinner in Toronto had members of the Canadian Forces and their families. There were about 1,500 to 1,700 people from the corporate world. It does an incredible thing for the morale of our military members and their families to see that.
If we left it all up to government, you wouldn't have that. We are creating a bridge between these two groups that's never really existed before in Canada. I hear what you're saying, but at the same time too, I think there is a role and it isn't all up to government to make sure there is that connection.
One of the things that has been so wonderful to see, as we've gone around and raised funds for this cause, is that people want to give and do something. We're apolitical. When we had our first dinner, we had the leaders of all parties there, including the Green Party. It's something that we're quite proud of. We think there's a bigger social benefit to having a charity involved.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay, the bells are ringing, and as you guys know, it's my duty, pursuant to Standing order 115(5), to get you to votes unless there is unanimous consent to continue on with questioning.
Do I have consent to continue?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We don't have consent. Without consent we will adjourn.
Before I do that, I want to thank True Patriot Love for all the hard work that you do in supporting our forces members and our veterans and for making that connection between the corporate world of those who are philanthropists and want to give and want to help and to fill in the gaps where government can't be all things to all people. This is an important fundraising foundation, providing that go-between as well as funding some great organizations and providing services, such as the military family resource centres that we have right across this country.
With that I will thank you again for helping us with our study.
I'll take a motion to adjourn.
