Evidence of meeting #28 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 clinics.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Janice Burke  Director, Mental Health, Department of Veterans Affairs
Raymond Lalonde  Director, National Centre for Operational Stress Injuries, Ste. Anne's Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs
Tina Pranger  National Mental Health Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

Okay. I appreciate the questions and answers. I do have just a couple of things for our witnesses today.

First, you've mentioned various studies that have been done. Some of those that were mentioned today, both from Veterans Affairs and DND, I don't know if there's a way you could get some of them to our clerk and then we'd pass them on to people. That's just in case we can use them.

Again, a veteran is a veteran, but all veterans don't receive pensions. Some veterans have been in the Canadian Forces for four or five years and have decided to go into another field, whether it be police work or maybe work in a member of Parliament's office doing case work, or have gone back to university and those types of things. In order to keep track of those people once they leave, unless they've come to Veterans Affairs with a problem you wouldn't have any know-how of where those people necessarily are. A person doesn't have to be a veteran, doesn't have to have served in Afghanistan or Croatia, and doesn't have to have served outside the country. They can be in the Canadian Forces for that time. They're still a veteran, correct? So every person who comes out of the military does not have a pension.

I know that because my father was a veteran and he now gets VIP. That's something we should all remember, that people are classified as veterans—and I would hope that no one would ever have to go to a food bank. But some of those people have come out of the service and maybe at an earlier time have made the decision that they wanted to be civilians again. Am I correct when I think that way?

5:15 p.m.

Director, Mental Health, Department of Veterans Affairs

Janice Burke

Yes, absolutely.

When you look at the veteran population—and that's through a Statistics Canada study that was done, I think it was back in 2002—749,000 is the estimated veteran population, and our client population is 218. So we're very fortunate in terms of the number of people who are leaving the military and that they are leaving in good health. They often have no need or requirement for our programs, but there are veterans who do. As I said before, we need to be doing better outreach to ensure that all veterans are aware of our programs in case there is need.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

Great. Thank you very much.

I appreciate your answers today here for everyone.

I ask that we take a little recess here. We have to do a little bit of business. It will only take a minute or two, but we have to do it in camera.

Thank you again.

[Proceedings continue in camera]