Veterans Affairs Committee on May 15th, 2007

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thanks, Gilles.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Now we're at Mr. St. Denis.

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

I'll be very brief because of the time.

Thank you, Gilles, for going to that session, not only for your interest but to benefit all of us.

Senator Dallaire earlier today mentioned the importance of the Legions and somehow helping the Legions evolve to the new era. He talked about the bosom buddy, or the buddy system, and the support in the community. Was there anything that came out of this conference that talked about the external support network, whether Legions or family, to help the veterans?

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I wasn't at that workshop; however, I attended another workshop—for Peter—on the relationship between the military and the family. The family needs support, but it can also learn to support the young person who is suffering. The family aspect is extremely important. Does the Royal Canadian Legion have the means to promote this? I have nothing against the legion: it's a good socio-medical and service club. It's a way of supporting young people, but the fact that they do not see themselves as part of a traditional legion is a major problem. Is there a way to ensure that they can integrate? The legion will have to do its homework, to learn.

I appreciated the fact that Pierre, who is here now, also attended this symposium. He went to learn more, as I did and as we are all doing, in order to better train these young people. During therapy, it's essential for the young person to have support. On the subject of families, I must admit that I was truly surprised when I learned that the family can be just as much a hindrance as a help for the young person. In fact, when families don't recognize post-traumatic stress, they become a problem when they blame the young person for taking drugs or constantly drinking. Family members may not find the right kind of help because they don't know what the problem is. It's not because they don't want to help.

Sometimes, when soldiers come back from a mission, they seem to be the same as they were before they left, but in fact they may be drinking, taking drugs, feeling ill, feeling nauseous, vomiting when they haven't eaten anything and suffering from all kinds of medical problems. The problem isn't just in their heads: it affects their bodies too. I apologize for using a popular expression among Bloc Québécois members, but in such cases, the family members tend to give them a good kick in the behind and to tell them to get a hold of themselves. They don't know that the individual is suffering from a mental injury. It is a good idea, before deployment, to inform the family, particularly the spouse, of problems that may occur upon the soldier's return. Spouses can be warned of the possibility that their husband may suffer from a mental injury upon his return. It's a matter of preparing her for this eventuality. If it does occur and the spouse recognizes the symptoms, she will immediately see what is happening and try to convince her husband to go and see a specialist.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

Mr. Stoffer.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thanks, Mr. Perron.

Were any PTSD people there?

[Gilles-A. Perron, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Yes.

Yes. Some have recovered. I saw four or five of them. Jeannine, who is sitting behind us, is living proof, as is Louise Richard. No doubt, they still have problems, but they can live their lives because they have had the opportunity to receive treatment. In fact, treatment shouldn't be an opportunity, but rather an obligation that is being honoured.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I will just let everybody know we're having all sorts of other people from the next committee descend upon us. I just wanted to make sure that we get on record here....

Mr. Valley has a notice of motion for this Thursday, which reads:

That the Committee on Veterans Affairs work with the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada to arrange a study tour of Afghanistan operations with regards to the ongoing study on Health Care Review, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Thank you very much. The meeting is adjourned.