Evidence of meeting #43 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 c-55.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
There we are.
Anyway, can I get a motion to accept?
Go ahead, Mr. McColeman.
Conservative
Phil McColeman Conservative Brant, ON
I would just like to know what the $4,400.00 represents. It there a per diem for these people?
Conservative
Conservative
Phil McColeman Conservative Brant, ON
Were they from Quebec? Am I correct in reading that they're both from Quebec?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Okay. Those witnesses have been here.
Ms. Sgro has moved approval of the budget.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Third, our analyst will have a draft here on Wednesday for our study.
Committee Researcher
I cannot call it a draft, because it's not official. It's a draft executive summary of what could be a report, in case something happens and you want to go fast.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Also, we're doing it ahead of time. There is one more witness left for next Monday, but it will give us something to look at. We can say it's looking good or we want it changed, and then we'll have to work hard.
Go ahead, Mr. Vincent.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
I have one final question.
I remember that the last time we talked about this, there were no other witnesses left. We had reached the end of our list of witnesses and now we have another witness.
Who is this new witness scheduled for Monday? And what is happening on Wednesday?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
There's nothing on Thursday. It's on Wednesday. On Wednesday we're going to bring in somewhat of an update, a briefing, on the study we were doing. If we want to bring a report forward, it won't be a full report, because we have the one more witness, and the one more witness has been on the witness list right from the start. Our clerk, when we talked about it at least a month ago, said that we had someone booked for the 28th, and they've already been booked for the 28th. It's Dr. Ritchie. She used to be with the United States Army medical services.
Go ahead, Mr. Stoffer.
NDP
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
I have a couple of items.
First, I wonder if the analyst can give us some more formal understanding in the future as to how VRAB became a separate agency. I'm not quite sure when or why that happened, but it would be interesting to know why the department did that.
Second, Mr. Chairman--and I say this with great respect--we can't have any more cancelled meetings. You don't need witnesses to have a meeting. I understand what you're trying to do and what the clerk was doing, but there are many things we can discuss among ourselves in a cooperative nature in order to move certain things forward to help the department, so I would encourage, Mr. Chairman, that there be no more cancelled meetings, if it's possible.
The third part is that 112 North is empty right now, and I'm wondering why we can't get that room. I say it with great respect. There's the television, but it would be nice to have that room back. I know veterans, when they come in, feel more comfortable, and it's easier. Maybe I'm getting lazy in my old age, but it's right down there after question period. It's right there. I wonder why we can't have that.
Lastly, the previous witness we had before this told us that over 3,500 individuals will be assisted by Bill C-55. We know that not to be true. Those are the regulation changes, not legislative changes, so I'd just like the committee to keep in mind that experts from DVA can come in and give us erroneous or false information, or maybe they just made a serious error in judgment. I don't know, but when they answered 3,500, the real answer was 500 over five years. That's quite a change in figures. I just wanted to leave it out there that sometimes department officials aren't necessarily correct themselves.
If we could just halt the cancelled meetings, we could talk about whatever. It would be a nice way to spend a couple of hours with my friends on both sides of the fence here.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
While I always enjoy spending hours with Mr. Stoffer, it's usually not at the committee table.
I would make a motion, though, Mr. Chair, that we make every effort to have our meetings at 112 North, unless the committee directs otherwise.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We'll take that under advisement, because I too would like it at 112 North. Our witness on Monday is via teleconference, so it will probably have to be at Queen Street or here.
Go ahead, Mr. André.
Bloc
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
I enjoy talking to Mr. Stoffer and I don't want to go against his motion. I think we have to have regular meetings with witnesses. It is true that six meetings have been cancelled since last January. So we have to figure out a way to meet with the witnesses. The team must make sure that we are more consistent with our meetings. If there are no witnesses and although I really like Mr. Stoffer, I don't like him enough to come and chat with him here in committee. We can talk somewhere else. If there is no purpose to the meeting, it is useless. First and foremost, we need to have witnesses. There is work to be done and we must do it. We have to have meetings with witnesses and there is a whole process that goes with that.
