Evidence of meeting #97 for National Defence in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was families.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This study was started and reopened after we heard quite a lot of disturbing things coming out of Halifax with current CAF members experiencing homelessness. Of course, this has moved us all, and we're very concerned. My Bloc colleague and I wrote a joint letter to the minister to express those concerns.
From MFRC's area and the CAF, have you heard much about members experiencing homelessness or housing precarity in that regard, specifically around Halifax?
5 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
I did check with all the MFRCs, and none of the MFRCs that have reported back to me have heard about any families that are permanently homeless. Quite often, the homelessness is during a relocation or a posting, and families are choosing to live in a trailer for a couple of months while they are waiting for their house to become available. Those are the only ones that we're hearing about.
When families are in any kind of financial distress, they come to Support Our Troops. Then we're able to provide loans or grants to those families who experience this situation, perhaps due to a relocation. If there's a loss in the sale of their home or whatever it happens to be, we then endeavour as much as possible to offset that, based on the individual situation that the family is in.
I haven't heard about any homeless families whatsoever, but it would be the choice of the family to choose to, for example, live in a trailer for a month while they're waiting for the house to become available.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you.
Obviously, a lot goes into the well-being of a family and the well-being of a CAF member. Around this table, we've talked about health care, child care and education. One of the services that are provided for military families and members on base is around fitness training and the facilities on base.
Can you tell us about the importance of those fitness trainers on base for training our troops, for ensuring that they're mission-ready, for training special forces and for staying in good health?
5:05 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
That, again, is outside the scope of my responsibilities. My focus is really on supporting military and veteran families, so I don't have any kind of line of sight into the fitness instructors. I know they're part of our organization, but I don't have any oversight responsibility, so I really can't comment on that right now.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
One of my concerns around this—and you spoke to it yourself as well—is in terms of that support, that spousal network, the support for military family members to work on base, and the importance of that as they deal with problems with employment and movement.
However, I bring up fitness trainers because they are often paid 37% to 63% less than fitness trainers performing duties similar to those in, say, the RCMP, which provides a very similar service. I want to know what the justification for CFMWS was to pay significantly less to those fitness trainers.
5:05 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
Again, I can't answer that, because I'm not part of the compensation decisions within my organization.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
5:05 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
I've heard that it's causing issues, but I'm not part of any of the discussions related to compensation.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
How have you heard that it greatly impacts the family members of CAF members and CAF members themselves?
5:05 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
The fitness instructors...?
5:05 p.m.
NDP
5:05 p.m.
Senior Vice President, Military Family Services, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
Within my portfolio, because we work with the military family resource centres for the delivery of all the services to military families and the MFRC is a separate employer for the staff of the non-public funds, I don't have any responsibility or oversight into the support for the wages for military families.
I know that 14% of our workforce is military spouses. I do not receive any information or any feedback on what the rate of pay is.
What we do is work very closely within the military spousal employment network to help military family members receive or link to employment that would provide more opportunity for higher wages or for career advancement.
Just yesterday and today, we hosted virtual career fairs where we had hundreds of military spouses attend, seeking employment with the employers that were there. CFMWS is always one of the employers at those virtual career fairs as well.
5:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
It is certainly important, and I'm glad that you referenced the non-public fund workers. They have been on strike for three months, demanding fair wages and fair treatment at the bargaining table.
In fact, on March 26 my Bloc colleague and I sent a joint letter to the Minister of National Defence, expressing solidarity with non-public fund workers. I have moved a motion in this committee on that, which I would like to call for today.
I don't know if I have to read it back into the record again, Mr. Chair. I'm quite happy to do so.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
That's why I gave the caution at the beginning of the meeting on whether we could do this in an orderly fashion with yours, plus three other motions that are properly before the committee.
My view is that we should be respectful of the witness, because her time is quite precious. We should fulfill one more round of questions and then we'll go to motions, because I think all of the motions before us are important motions.
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
I think it's within order, so I would like to move that motion.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
You can move it.
I'm just talking in terms or orderliness and respect for colleagues and respect for witnesses, but it's—
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Well, I have waited. It was supposed to happen a couple of meetings ago—
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
—so respectfully, those workers have been waiting quite a long time.
5:10 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
I do hope so, and I know that many of us around this table are very supportive.
I would like to move my motion for the CFMWS workers.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
There is nothing I can do to stop you moving your motion. It's been tabled and it's in order.
Go ahead, Madame Lalonde.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
With all due respect, Mr. Chair, is there a way that we could just read the motion just so it can be on record and just to make sure we agree on the language?
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
If you read it, then I'd have to open it up for debate.
Read it into the record.