Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and thank you very much for the opportunity to present to you today.
I am Dr. Alice Aiken, the scientific director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. I'm a university professor in rehabilitation therapy, and I am a proud veteran, having served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 14 years.
With me today is Susan Marlin, the chair of our interim board of directors and the associate vice-principal of research at Queen's University.
This institute and what it represents is near and dear to my heart, and I'm very excited to be able to inform you about CIMVHR and the role it plays in advancing research that will benefit veterans, military personnel, and their families.
In November 2010, Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada established the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, with the full support of Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. Until then, Canada was alone among our major military allies in not having such an institute. This academic institute, which extends from east to west across Canada, comprises 21 universities and over 150 researchers, and is still growing. We've joined together to respond to government priorities for research on the unique health and social consequences that impact military personnel, veterans, and their families—those who have sacrificed so much for our country.
With over 700,000 veterans in Canada and more than 100,000 serving personnel, we have a significant population with unique risks, exposures and experiences that demands new standards of protection, prevention and care for ill and injured military personnel, veterans, and their families.
As of now, more people have served in Afghanistan than served in Korea. We have the largest number of injuries since the Korean War, and these injuries are more complex. Parliament has been advised that one in five of those who served in Afghanistan and our other recent missions will suffer from mental health issues, and we have no idea if the scope of the problem is in fact this limited.
The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research is an innovative organization that engages existing academic research resources and facilitates the development of new research, research capacity, and effective knowledge exchange. This institute serves as a base for all Canadian stakeholders interested in military and veteran health research, and provides a channel between the academic community, government organizations, and similar international organizations.
CIMVHR's mission is to optimize the health and well-being of Canadian military personnel, veterans, and their families by harnessing and mobilizing the national capacity for high-impact research, knowledge creation, and knowledge exchange. The institute's research focuses on outcomes that translate into programs, policies, and practices that can rapidly impact the lives of the beneficiaries. CIMVHR is focused on ensuring that Canada's best researchers are engaged in research that is fully coordinated with national and international agencies to ensure that they complement, not duplicate, existing research activities.
The Canadian government has provided our military going into battle with the best training and equipment in the world. We must ensure, when these soldiers return to their new battlefield—a personal battlefield that's marked by physical and mental injuries, and social challenges in reintegrating into family and civilian life—that we provide them with the same level of support. This support must be based on the best evidence possible resulting from research by the best and brightest Canada has to offer.
CIMVHR's vision is that the health and well-being of Canadian military personnel, veterans, and their families will be maximized through world-class research, resulting in evidence-informed practices and policies.
In order to see this vision through, CIMVHR has focused on building support and partnerships with individuals and organizations: professional associations like the Canadian Medical Association; foundations like the True Patriot Love Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute, research institutes such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities, to name a few.
In fact, your own minister, the Honourable Steven Blaney, has said:
With the return of troops from Afghanistan,...it'is more important than ever to have a network of academics and researchers who can provide insight and intelligence into the long-term effects of military service, especially in the areas of mental health, complex health needs and families. With the extensive network of American research institutes, the Australian Centre for Military and Veterans' Health, and the recently created Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, our nations will share findings and look for further opportunities to collaborate.
CIMVHR is creating ways to collaborate through our annual military and veteran health research forum. Last year's forum was hosted in Kingston, Ontario, from November 14 to 16. This major event had an audience of over 450 stakeholders, researchers, military and civilian personnel, members of industry, eminent keynote speakers, and national and international representatives. The highly interactive forum featured 12 keynote speakers, including two from the United States, one from the United Kingdom, and your minister. It had 31 scientific posters and 110 quality research presentations focusing on significant aspects of mental health, operational and environmental health protection, physical and mental rehabilitation, combat casualty care, health policies and programs, and transition from military to civilian life.
Our soldiers are returning from a difficult ten-year combat mission and they are already preparing for future deployments. Our country has a social covenant with these Canadian sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, who we send into harm's way in defence of the freedom and quality of life we all enjoy.
The academic community is mobilized, our partners are committed, and Canadian pride in our veterans is strong. Just as our soldiers have served side by side in troubled spots around the globe, let us work together in a new coalition to help them as they come home to their own personal battlefield.
Merci.