Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 9th, 2011

[Tim Wall]

If there is imminent risk, yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Imminent risk of suicide.

[Tim Wall]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Not mental health, necessarily.

[Tim Wall]

This may vary in terms of other jurisdictions; I'm familiar with Manitoba. You have to demonstrate that there is a fairly pressing risk that the person may harm himself or herself or harm another person. The person may not be functioning well in terms of mental health but may not be an immediate risk; then there's not a lot you can do.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Again, thank you for your testimony today, Mr. Wall. I'm very pleased. Have a safe trip home, sir.

Just as Mr. Wall is leaving, we have on the list two witnesses we still haven't approved yet. It's my understanding that those two witnesses should appear.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Good idea.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Is that a good idea?

Mr. Vincent.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

I'm going to give you a little relief, Mr. Chair.

I had on my list Colonel Drapeau, a lawyer who represents the members of the Canadian Forces or other members who are veterans. It's his job to represent them with the Canadian army. I am going to set him aside. Mr. Drapeau will come back another time for another matter that we will discuss at some point here at the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Mr. Stoffer.

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

I just throw this out in addition to it. We hear a lot about Senator Michael Kirby's report. I just look to the committee for support on this. Would it be advisable to invite him or members of that committee who helped on the report to come to advise us on our way forward?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

My analyst has just advised me that he has read the report and that there isn't much in it on suicide, and nothing at all on veterans.

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

I stop right there, then.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

It's suggested, then, that.... Do we want to take Mr. Drapeau off?

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

Oui.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Okay, then that's all.

Andrew Cohn will be coming. All in favour of that?

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré, Committee Researcher]

In terms of Mr. Cohn, the program he developed is specifically on resilience building. It's specific to that. He got an award and he got a Royal Society.... It's on resilience building in the military, before deployment, and it seems to be working quite well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

He's the Australian--correct?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mrs. Julie-Anne Macdonald]

He's the Australian, yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

So we'll be doing that via teleconference.

With that, I'm going to adjourn the meeting.