Veterans Affairs Committee on Dec. 13th, 2007

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

What solution are you proposing to us?

[Ronald Griffis]

A more local phone number, a more local 1-800 number, perhaps, for a province or two.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

From what you've said so far, what kind of relations does the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping have with the Canadian Legion and veterans? Are they good relations?

[Ronald Griffis]

Our relationship with the Royal Canadian Legion as well as Veterans Affairs Canada is in the category of excellent. We get along very well. I enjoy the company of Jack Frost, the president of the Royal Canadian Legion. Although Jack is not a veteran per se, he understands veterans issues. He's very knowledgeable on veterans issues. He's a nice guy.

I have found the people I deal with at Veterans Affairs in Charlottetown and in Halifax and other areas to be very accommodating. I appreciate that there are some difficulties, but they're really not worth mentioning, if you know what I mean. They're very minor in nature.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I understand, but in the past while, you've been saying that 220,000 veterans have not been contacted. So people must be somewhat uncomfortable with the approach.

[Ronald Griffis]

The number I mentioned is the number, I understand, who are out there who have not contacted Veterans Affairs Canada. Perhaps they don't have a reason to contact Veterans Affairs Canada.

One of the issues we have with respect to communicating is that the longer we put off communicating with the veterans, the more they're going to pass away, and before you know it, there will be very, very few veterans, save and except the modern-day veteran. I appreciate that there's one veteran left from World War I and there are several thousand from World War II and Korea, but once they all pass away, the number of people who will be clients of Veterans Affairs Canada, I feel, will diminish.

There are only so many, and as Mr. Stoffer just said a few moments ago, we're losing hundreds of veterans a day because of age. Regarding the communication difficulties, the more we sit on our hands and not communicate, the more the veterans are going to pass away. As I said, before you know it, if we don't do something quickly, within five or six or seven years, the population of veterans will be diminished, save and except the new veterans.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Do you think there could be a single organization for veterans and those who, like you, are peacekeeping veterans? There is an association for veterans of the Korean War, one for the Gulf War and so on.

Why wouldn't there be a single association with representatives of each mission? Otherwise there is a risk that we may wind up with as many associations as there were missions.

[Ronald Griffis]

A qualified answer to your question is yes. I feel we could operate as one as long as we can keep the identity of the original association--for example, if I were to join the Legion as a member of the federation of veterans, would I be allowed to wear my blue blazer? Would I be allowed to wear my blue beret?

I understand that's one of the problems we're addressing, and I understand that problem could be addressed in the affirmative in that there would be no problem. So a qualified answer is yes, as long as the identification of the other veterans organizations can be kept.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

My time is up.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Anders]

I realize we sometimes would like to ask more questions, but it's out of respect for fellow members and their ability to ask questions as well that we move on.

Now, over to the Conservative Party of Canada, Mr. Sweet, for five minutes.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Griffis, I, too, would like to add my voice to thanking you, not only for your service in the Provost Corps, but also for continuing with veterans to this day to make sure they are serviced well.

Also, I'm very encouraged by this information--and it's the first time I've heard it--about the Royal Canadian Legion Federation of Veterans. That must be very encouraging to all veterans as well.

I'm very grateful as well that you have affirmed your confidence in the government's bringing about the resolution of the VIP program. I'm certainly conscious that “immediately” also means “sustainable”, and that there are a lot of considerations to make sure that not only do you deliver, but you can consistently deliver over many years to come.

I want to ask you particularly about outreach, because the Minister of Veterans Affairs has been busy. The charter has been established, the bill of rights, the ombudsman.

And by the way, I hope, like the ombudsman, you didn't have the same experience as a peacekeeper. I believe he said he was threatened, spit on, shot at, and stabbed. I hope your experience was a little bit more positive.

We've had a number of witnesses here before the committee who have said that there's substantial outreach happening at Veterans Affairs. As I said, a lot has happened. I'm encouraged by the fact that even you have said that their services are getting better, their response times, etc. But it seems to me that this outreach is lacking if there are the numbers that you say who have not communicated with VAC or are not aware of these services. And I believe you're doing outreach as well.

In your opinion, is there still substantial work that needs to be done to ramp up that outreach? As I said, a couple of witnesses have already been here and said there are outbound calls happening now.

[Ronald Griffis]

Yes, I agree there is a tremendous amount of work that could be addressed. But by the same token, I appreciate the dollars and cents issue that goes along with any program, and that causes me some concern. You can volunteer only so much, and then it becomes a problem.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Do you have a coordinated effort with Veterans Affairs, or are there privacy issues that impede your ability to synergize their efforts?

[Ronald Griffis]

There's a qualified answer to that, and the answer is yes, we get along quite well with Veterans Affairs, but we still must appreciate the privacy issue.

A case in point is a veteran in Berwick, Nova Scotia, who requires a hearing aid and won't let me give his name to VAC for them to help him. He's an older veteran and he's set in his ways, and he doesn't want to be considered a problem. He doesn't want my involvement to hurt his application, so he's concerned in that way. He'll let the application go ahead, and hopefully it will work out well for him.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Sure.

I have another specific question for you as well, because I had a couple of constituents approach me. Have you had any feedback in your organization of any disparity on travel? Travel is a part of the VIP program. Have you had any concerns from some who say their travel is covered more easily, that some have a card they can use and some others don't?

[Ronald Griffis]

Yes. For instance, in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, a lot of our veterans have services that take place in Halifax and they have to take a bus; they don't have a vehicle available to them. They must take a bus, and it's not covered.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

It's not covered?

[Ronald Griffis]

No, it's not covered.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Have you talked with Veterans Affairs Canada about that?

[Ronald Griffis]

Yes.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

I have one final question. I think it's probably going to be my final question.

Your association was involved with the Gerontological Advisory Council--

[Ronald Griffis]

Yes.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

--and coming up with the recommendations. Were there any concerns or recommendations you had that were not involved in that study as it was published?

[Ronald Griffis]

No. As a matter of fact, when Dr. Marshall appeared before this committee, he expressed a concern that this committee was not given a copy of Keeping the Promise firsthand. That is part and parcel of the communication difficulty, and by the same token, we're quite content that a lot of the recommendations in Keeping the Promise have been or will be implemented.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Good. Thank you very much.