Veterans Affairs Committee on April 29th, 2010

[Dr. Victor Marshall]

No, actually we have a mandate to give advice. Technically it's to give advice when we are asked for advice, and sometimes we tell them what to ask, or we give it anyway. But we do not have a research budget.

Now it may be, in an indirect way—and I'm sure it is—that some of the advice we give leads to some research being funded. Certainly when we were first formed, the academics like myself would discuss an issue, a problem, and the first thing we'd say is we'd better do some research on that. The veterans organization members would say “we're dying”, so we learned to draw on what we knew already. You had the top gerontologists in the country, so we knew what was going on, but we didn't have time to do new research. But we did advocate strongly, and we are told we had a huge impact on the department jacking up its own research operations under David Pedlar's leadership.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

But you told the committee that your recommendations are often not taken into account. Research is done, there's a problem, a report or research paper is produced, it's put on a shelf. That's kind of how the institution operates, as I have known for some time.

Doesn't it get a bit frustrating, when you spend time writing a research report, to see that the recommendations are not taken into consideration? That is my first question.

As well, you are consultants for the Department of Veterans Affairs on certain issues. I imagine you get the department's consent for the subjects you address in your research. As a result, the department should be somewhat open to studying your recommendations. It seems not, though. So I wonder about this.

I have one last question. In fact, I think of the services in question here as being similar to the services provided for seniors in general among the public. Apart from the question of the organization of services for seniors, how is your gerontology research different? How can it be used for the benefit of other seniors in the general public? How is the Gerontological Advisory Council different from equivalent bodies elsewhere in Quebec or Canada or in other areas of gerontology research? How is your research different and what is unique about it?

[Dr. Victor Marshall]

On the first one, is it frustrating, yes, it is. But you know, I tell graduate students when they're starting their careers, “Don't try to solve all the world's problems in one study. It's a long-range process. Bring your little pebble, throw it on the pile, and maybe you'll eventually get a small hill going.” We're not revolutionaries here.

I think everyone on the council--the academics, at least--feels it's just a privilege to be able to do something, to make some kind of contribution for our country and for these veterans. So it is discouraging. But again--and I've said this before--it's not that the department is unreceptive to our advice. The department is receptive to our advice. It just seems to have trouble getting things done. That's my interpretation of it.

Is there a consensus on research themes? Well, we have a report at every council meeting. I'm talking now about the Gerontological Advisory Council. We have had a report at every meeting on the research activities that are going on, so we are well briefed. David Pedlar is there, and we react to what he's doing.

I think the department is really going in the right direction under David's leadership, in the sense that there's a heavy emphasis on operational stress injuries. This goes back to... You asked about Ste. Anne's, that big centre now for operational stress injury research, which is really important.

There's a place now, in the new Canadian longitudinal study of health and aging, for a veterans unit, a component in there so that they can learn more. That's where it's done, because there's not a huge budget for veteran-specific research. But if you can sort of buy into various ongoing research projects, bigger nationwide projects like that, identify the veterans and get data that way, it's a... And he's been very strategic in building alliances like that, working with various Canadian institutes for aging and health. The one on rehabilitation, for example, is really important in that area.

So compared to 13 years ago, there's a huge difference now in terms of the available research data. They're still working at building up more what you might call administrative data that could be used, that you could get from records, and so forth. The council has spent a lot of time reviewing and critiquing the tools that are used to measure health status, for example, so they get better data like that. So I think a lot of progress has been made in this area.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you, Mr. Marshall.

We're way over, Mr. André.

And I see our other witnesses have arrived.

I want to thank the members. Thank you very much, Mr. Marshall.

[Dr. Victor Marshall]

You're very welcome.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

As was said multiple times, we appreciate your work on behalf of veterans.

Yes, Mr. Stoffer?

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

I have a quick point of order. I want to congratulate the honourable witness for saying that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Sign him up.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

That's an independent comment from a member.

On behalf of the committee, I want to thank you for your good work for veterans.

[Dr. Victor Marshall]

Thank you. Is it all right if I stay to hear more?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Absolutely, you can stay.

[Dr. Victor Marshall]

Thank you all for bearing with me in my testimony.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

We'll suspend for about two minutes until we have a transition of witnesses.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Go ahead, Mr. Oliphant.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

The business that Judy Sgro wanted me to bring up is the issue of ensuring that Sean Bruyea is scheduled for a witness time.

A second thing, which I want to bring up, is that we had a witness scheduled for last week named, I believe, Harold Leduc. He was cancelled; he was on the schedule and then came off the schedule. I just wonder whether he's able to come back or whether there is someone who could take his role. I believe he was part of the group on the establishment of the new Veterans Charter.

I'm looking at my note here.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Yes, it is Harold Leduc and he was to be here on Tuesday of either last week or the week before.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

I will have to get back to you on that. George is not our regular clerk and doesn't have the schedule with him. I know that Sean Bruyea has been rescheduled. I believe it's toward the third week of May—actually, right after we come back. He's scheduled with another witness, one hour for each of them. I'll check about Mr. Leduc.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Leduc sits on the review and appeals board, but he was from the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association, the CPVA, which was one of the six veterans organizations that supported the charter.

I wonder whether we have any one of those organizers. That's my question.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay. I'll have to look into it, because it sounds as though he decided not to come. We will have to determine what the case is and then try to find an equivalent witness, if he doesn't want to show.

Mr. Kerr had some business, and then Mr. André.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Since you opened the door, we'll continue until 1:00, and we will finish with the witnesses.

I wanted to talk about a witness, Francine Matteau. I have proposed to the clerk several times that we invite her. I think it is very important for Ms. Matteau to be able to testify urgently. We have met with various people involved, various actors, officials from various associations, but Ms. Matteau is engaged in an important battle relating to the lump sum and services to veterans. She is directly involved and affected by the program. I think it is a good idea for us to meet with the associations, but it is also worthwhile to meet with people who are directly affected by the situation. That is why I am strongly urging that Ms. Matteau be invited to testify.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Is there some consensus on that witness?

Mr. Kerr.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

I want to ask you or the clerk a question for clarification. Is this within the time parameter you've given us? Basically we've agreed we're wrapping up on May 13. Does that fit within the schedule to get these done?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Again, because we don't have our regular clerk here, I'd have to get back to the committee regarding that.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

I think we want to talk about whether it's going to mean an extra meeting or not and how it would fit in. I just want to be sure about it.