Veterans Affairs Committee on April 20th, 2009

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Since we have a new clerk here, the previous clerk obviously has been successful in having her baby. Congratulations to her as well.

General, first of all, our condolences to you and the whole country of Italy after the earthquake that your country just went through and the loss of lives there.

Also, sir, congratulations on the fact that you have over 9,000 military personnel serving in 21 countries around the world. That's quite a high number. Congratulations to your country for the international work you do with the UN and with NATO.

My question to you is this scenario. If I'm a corporal and you're a general and we're driving down the road in Afghanistan, and we get blown up and we both die, are you saying that the death benefit to your family would be greater than the one for mine because of your rank?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

Yes. It's because of the premium that is paid. The insurance is different.

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

I'm just playing devil's advocate here. Wouldn't you be opening yourself up to criticism that says the life of an officer is more valuable than the life of a regular private, for example?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

If you're talking about people, no, but if the premium is different, it's not like an object. If I pay more insurance for my car and you pay less, the premium is different and, at the end, the insurance pays differently. Unfortunately, a lot of people died, and for this, nobody ever complained about this kind of difference in compensation.

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

But as a higher—

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

[Inaudible--Editor]...if you look at the compensation, the compensation is not 100 euros, but I think is very high.

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

Sure. But as a higher-ranking officer, you could afford to pay more into your insurance than a lower-ranking person could, couldn't you?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

Sorry?

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

As a general, for example, you get a much higher salary than a private, let's say, so you could pay more in premiums than a private could, couldn't you?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

The premium is not paid by the people. It's paid by the administration.

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

Oh, okay.

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

It's different.

Also, for the injured, it is not the generals but a lot of people who are of lower rank who are blown up by mines, so this is why, probably.... We pay the insurance for generals so that they never die, I hope. I'm not joking, but--

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

No, no.

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

--I don't know why our administration decided on this kind of premium. Probably they discussed it and then decided on this kind of premium.

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

That's fine. It's just good to get the differences around the world of what happens in regard to the death benefit.

You also indicated that if a person is single and makes the ultimate sacrifice, whatever benefit there is can then go to their brother or sister if they have no spouse or children. Is that right?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

Yes. It's possible that the benefit would go to the family if they have some right. If they don't have the right, they don't have any compensation.

Don't ask me about this kind of right, because I don't know. Sometimes people get it and other times they don't, so probably there is something that works in our system and decides that the brother, sister. or parents can have a benefit of this kind.

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

General, there are certain things that money can't cure, and those are psychological problems some of the military people will have when they come back from Afghanistan, Iraq, or somewhere else.

This country is struggling to get qualified personnel to assist our military people and their families. In Italy, do you have that problem? Or do you believe that you have enough trained psychologists to help the military personnel and their families when they come back from a tour of duty?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

It would depend on what kind of disability the people had. If it is a normal psychological problem, they can go to the doctor. We have military doctors, too. In the units, the doctor can recognize if the people have some psychological problems, so he can help the people and also give them indications to go to a psychologist or somewhere, and then they can go. If they don't need.... Inside every unit, we have a doctor who can help.

Also, spiritually, there are priests and other people who can help people. When they come back from operations and have problems, these people can get help from doctors or from other people. We don't have any specialized unit for this.

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

Does that apply to their families as well?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

When something happens, something like disability or death or something else, yes, but for normal operations, no.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you, Mr. Stoffer.

Now we'll go to Mr. Kerr for seven minutes.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Thank you very much and welcome. We really appreciate your being here and sharing your information with us.

I'm sure my colleagues will ask more about the pension details, but you raised a few things I want to be clear on. One is that you were saying your military is actually reducing their numbers. Is that correct?

[BGen Sanzio Bonotto]

Yes. They are going to reduce.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Is that just a military decision that has nothing to do with anything else?