Evidence of meeting #10 for Veterans Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was charter.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
That tells us something.
Some of these reports weren't released right away, either. Were you aware that they weren't released until a later date?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
I don't believe Veterans Affairs had any intention of releasing them until it became evident to groups like this that these reports were around. Then they started asking the department for them.
Liberal
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
So they were released subsequently.
I'm glad they were released because I think they're very helpful for us and for Canadians to recognize this as a Canadian problem.
When the group first started, one of the first tasks was to hold ten focus groups with special needs veterans. An independent company, I understand, was hired to do these focus groups. Have they formed a lot of the body of work that you've done? Were they helpful?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
The focus groups were done before the charter was very much public, before the charter came into legislation. They were done in 2005 by Corporate Research Associates. I haven't looked at their report in a long time. It was touchy-feely, with a lot of comparisons to the Pension Act. Many things in the new Veterans Charter hadn't been totally solidified, so they were just testing the waters to see what the feedback would be.
I can say that by the time that report came out, the charter in its first draft was already in circulation, so the chances of incorporating changes, in my opinion, were probably slim to nil. But you are all aware that the new Veterans Charter is also called the living charter, and that changes should be possible.
Liberal
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
That's exactly what I was going to say. It was meant, I think, with all-party agreement, to become a living document. The goals of it were to make improvements, not to make things worse. It was to encourage integration into the full economic and business and social life of the country for returning veterans.
Do you think that's still a valid goal?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
I know that Veterans Affairs is working very hard on formulating some changes to bring to government.
Liberal
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Mr. Henwood, I thought the situation you described was almost immoral and unconscionable, and I can't believe what's been done to our disabled vets. I want to know, why isn't Veterans Affairs listening to you and considering the kinds of changes that are necessary—and moral, frankly?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
Ask them. The issue, I believe, boils down to—my first premise—money. I believe that in all the changes that Veterans Affairs looks at implementing, they look at the fiscal deficit and run those numbers over 20, 30, or 40 years, to the point where they're unfathomable; therefore, they go back and try to rejig things to see what they can do.
I think they're over-engineering the changes, to the point where nothing can happen. They're just mired.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
So, Mr. Henwood, you would say that it's a cost-saving measure at the expense of our most disadvantaged veterans?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
Unless someone can prove me wrong, I'll have to stand by those words.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Thank you, Madam Crombie and Mr. Henwood.
Now we go on to Mr. Vincent for seven minutes.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Henwood, for coming here today.
My first question to you is as follows: Have you compared the new veterans charter to existing workmen's compensation legislation, both in Ontario and in other provinces? If you have noted that there are additional benefits for these people that veterans do not have, what benefits would you like to change for veterans?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
In comparison with workers' compensation and those provincial programs, I believe Veterans Affairs has looked at what the various provinces do. I'm not sure we can equate workers' compensation boards and those types of policies and insurance plans to veterans' plans and to either the Pension Act or the new Veterans Charter. They are very different. The injuries are the same, but the cause is different. I'm not sure any one or more of them is better than the other. Certainly all of them have pros and cons.
I don't know whether that answers your question.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
At one point, you criticized lump sum payments. You talked about financial support for the family and old age security. I would like you to elaborate on your comments and indicate what type of changes need to be made to help this group of individuals.
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
What I did not put in my brief--I took them out because of time--were some numbers. What has gone out of the new Veterans Charter is a spousal allowance. It wasn't a large allowance, but it recognized the spouse and the support the spouse provided to their married partner. As a disabled veteran, I can't take a shower unless my wife is around, in case I fall. So it's a handicap for her to look after my handicap. But she was remunerated in a small sense for that.
As a Pension Act veteran, my kids received what was called a children's allowance. It wasn't a lot, but as a double amputee, I can't play road hockey very well, but I could take the kids to hockey games. So I used the children's allowance for that. This is stuff the family does.
For those who are even more highly disabled, which I qualify for, there was also an attendant's allowance. It allowed us to bring in help every now and then, if needed, and do those things around the house that I just can't do.
Those have all been removed in the new Veterans Charter. There is nothing tangible that the family can hold on to now. There is a low, lump sum, front-end payment.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Are you telling me that the new charter takes away benefits that you once had, such as assistance for shoveling the driveway, cutting the lawn, repainting the interior of the house?
Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Special Needs
No, we didn't quite get that right. Both the Pension Act and the new Veterans Charter have a program called the veterans independence program for things like snow removal and housekeeping services. That has not changed. But there was an attendant's allowance. If my wife wanted to take me out, we could take a taxi. We could use the bus for the disabled if we needed to. The attendant's allowance, the spousal allowance, and the children's allowance were financial resources we could tap into to do those things that we either couldn't do as a family or couldn't do by virtue of my disability.
So painting the house is a little bit of a problem. Veterans Affairs doesn't help me out with that, and didn't help before, but I could use those pensions that came in on a monthly basis to assist with that. Under the new Veterans Charter they're gone.