National Defence Committee on Jan. 31st, 2024

[Robert Olmsted]

Yes, I can.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Problem solved.

Go ahead.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Olmsted, thank you for participating in this committee meeting. We appreciate it.

Before I get into more specific questions, I'd like to make sure I have the right information. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the first contract that Brookfield Global Relocation Services, BGRS, won was in August 2009, and a second contract was awarded in August 2016. Is that right?

[Robert Olmsted]

I believe there was a predecessor company that received a tender in 1999.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Perfect. Thank you very much.

So it's been at least—

[Robert Olmsted]

The other dates are correct.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

You've been working with the Canadian Armed Forces for about 15 years now.

[Robert Olmsted]

That's correct.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

What I've heard from military personnel is that they haven't had access to personal in-person service on military bases for some time now. Is it true that, when BGRS started its contract, people were physically present on military bases to provide service to military personnel, but now it's being done remotely?

[Robert Olmsted]

Yes. Prior to December 1, 2017, we did have personnel on military bases. With the contract that commenced on December 1, 2017, the armed forces introduced a new, modernized delivery module that combines technology with just-in-time support, which is delivered from a central location in Ottawa.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Is it true that there's no longer a single agent assigned to each member's relocation file and that there might be several agents handling a given file?

[Robert Olmsted]

Yes, that is correct. In the beginning of the contract, we were not having briefings. We did change that process at the request of the Canadian Armed Forces, but the original model was what was put out to bid and what we bid on.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

Is it true that SIRVA BGRS no longer provides policy briefings ahead of time so members know how much they're entitled to for things like renting a trailer when they move or how to save money on all kinds of things? Members now have to do their own research to see what they're entitled to.

[Robert Olmsted]

No, that is not correct. We offer individual briefings that any member can request, and they can request as many briefings as they would like. We also provide them with a budget at the beginning of the process that allows them to know how much they should expect to spend on each part of the process. Then, we offer them an advance of those funds so they're never out of pocket with their own money.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

If I understand correctly, briefings are done at the member's request. In the past, were they systematically offered to members, whereas now they're only done on request? That means they need to know they can ask for a policy briefing.

[Robert Olmsted]

We communicate with every member who comes through the program that they have options in terms of how they would like to go through the briefing process and in terms of how they would like to communicate with us.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

I'd like to pick up on Mr. Collins' question about surveys. As I understand it, you don't do member satisfaction surveys. Do you know if CAF members do such surveys and, if so, do you get the results of those surveys or not?

[Robert Olmsted]

We do not do surveys of the members ourselves. We measure pieces of the process that have been determined in collaboration with the armed forces and that would indicate a positive service experience: how quickly a member was able to schedule their briefing, how quickly we got back to them on a question and how quickly we helped them when they had an issue. All those things are tracked and those metrics are reported.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you.

As I understand it, if a member isn't satisfied with the service, they can request adjudication, which is a kind of complaint, essentially. Are you aware of the number of complaints made, what they're about and how they're handled? Do you have information about that?

[Robert Olmsted]

We actually track every interaction. Each month, about 7,000 to 9,000 inquiries come in from military members. On average, we have about two per person in the pipeline in any given month, and we answer those questions. We don't look at whether something is a complaint versus a question. We just track how often someone's coming to us, what the questions are and whether we're responding to them in timely manner.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Ms. Normandin.

Ms. Mathyssen, go ahead for six minutes, please.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

I appreciate your sharing your time with us today.

I'm a little concerned, because there's some contradictory information. When Ms. Lambropoulos was asking you about whether you provide CAF members with information about how much they're allowed to use—budgets and what have you—you said no to her, but then when Madame Normandin asked the same question, you said you did provide it. Could you clarify that for me quickly?

[Robert Olmsted]

We do not provide them budgets for their ongoing living expenses; we provide them budgets for the actual relocation and the different pieces of that.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Okay. Thank you so much.

[Robert Olmsted]

Does that clarify it?