Veterans Affairs Committee on June 1st, 2006

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Okay, very good.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Mr. Valley.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

I can see a problem with that. When the decisions are made at the review board, how do you propose...? I don't want to put you on the spot too much, but if you're going to have an ombudsman and an appeals process...or do you foresee having a review board and then an appeals process and then they go to the ombudsman?

[Verna Bruce]

The ombudsman wouldn't have any authority over the decisions made by the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. Depending on how you design the ombudsman, you could give the ombudsman the opportunity to deal with the people who think the process is taking too long, who could complain to the ombudsman. But under the current legislation, the ombudsman doesn't have a role and wouldn't have a role in decision-making around pensions. The role would deal more with health care benefits, or whatever.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

As you've said, you are looking at this very carefully and very deliberately, which I applaud. Has anyone thought to the point that maybe the ombudsman could take over some of those roles? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what they do, but maybe it's a way to put it together so that it's one-stop shopping. The process doesn't take too long, as we were told earlier this week about the appeals board and the review board. Has anyone thought to the point that maybe this ombudsman could have part of those duties and maybe it would lessen some of the bureaucracy?

[Verna Bruce]

It's certainly not a part of what we're looking at now, but we'll take it back.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

I have one last question, if I still have time. I'm sorry I didn't finish my question on Ste. Anne's Hospital and their ombudsman. We have health centres all across Canada for veterans. Does that one ombudsman deal with health issues all across these centres, or does he or she just strictly deal with the issues in the one hospital?

[Verna Bruce]

As far as I'm aware, it's just Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. It's very much focused on people who are residents or patients, as they call them, of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Of the one organization?

[Verna Bruce]

The one organization, yes.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

I can see that we need an ombudsman if we are only providing for one specific group. Regardless of the reason they're in the hospital, whether it's dementia or anything else, the others in similar centres don't have that service. That's what you're saying.

[Keith Hillier]

That's correct.

[Verna Bruce]

Yes.

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

We have 19 seconds, if Mr. St. Denis wants to--

[Roger Valley, Liberal, Kenora, ON]

He'll wait for his own time.

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

I'll wait.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Now we're over to Mr. Mayes, I think.

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I'm finished.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Okay. Next would be Mr. Stoffer with the NDP, but he's not here.

Mr. Rota, because you were so kind to Mr. Stoffer, maybe you want to allow Mr. St. Denis...if he wants to ask his questions.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

It would be a pleasure to pass my time on to Mr. St. Denis. He's a wonderful man.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

All right.

Mr. St. Denis.

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Mr. Rota.

There appears to be a great sincerity behind these initiatives. Is there a preferred timeline, and I apologize if I missed it, but I had to take an urgent phone call, whether it's a regulation or a bill--I hope it's a bill, and if it's a bill, I hope it goes through the House quickly--and will they both be done at the same time in the same set of regulations or the same bill? Do you know?

[Verna Bruce]

It's probably a bit soon to say if they'll be dealt with together. That would be part of how the system unfolds.

In terms of timeline, in a response to a question earlier, we need to make sure we take the time to do it properly, but there's no question that the minister has asked us to move quickly on this one. We'll be working as quickly as we can to come up with something that makes sense.

[Brent St. Denis, Liberal, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Will the resources come out of existing budgets? A few million dollars a year I am sure could run something like this. Are the resources notionally set aside in the department or will this require extra funds, which I am sure we would certainly support in any event?