Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 25th, 2014

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Do you think it is unfair for an individual who wants to serve in the reserve force to have to think about the fact that an injury suffered during training can put an end to not only their military career, but also their civilian career? Reserve recruitment will be hampered if people think that, should they get injured, they will not be compensated for the civilian job they are likely to lose. For instance, if an aeronautical engineer suffered an injury during training that prevented them from doing their job, they would not be compensated.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Could you get to the question, please. The time is up.

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

It's done.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

You can ask a quick question if you want to.

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

I asked my question already. I just wanted to see whether the witnesses agreed that there was an issue in this area.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

You've basically answered that, I think.

Are we okay?

[Ronald Griffis]

I agreed there was a problem.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Okay, thank you very much.

Now to Mr. Lizon, for six minutes, please.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Welcome, witnesses. I thank you and all the veterans present for your service.

My first question is for Mr. Laidler.

What is your current relationship with Veterans Affairs Canada, and on the other side, what can Veterans Affairs do to support providing front-line programs for your organization?

[Tim Laidler]

Currently we're an official service provider to Veterans Affairs Canada. They'll pay us per client that we put through our program.

As I mentioned, we are on the track to expand. Regarding a previous question about what financial supports we could use, we are looking for more money to expand. We've made applications to the private sector. Again, that is the last piece we need this year, approximately $500,000.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Where do you think changes can or should be made to better provide support for all those who need support?

[Tim Laidler]

We talked about communications and outreach. As a nation, that is the biggest gap we have that needs to be addressed. It's not something the government can do alone. It has to talk about changing attitudes and stigma in the workforce and all sorts of places. It's a big task to get it up so that it's okay to step forward and get services and support.

More specifically, though, I will comment about the earnings loss benefit versus a pension. Something I have noticed is that some veterans are finding that the earnings loss benefit is a de-incentivizing risk, because as soon as they go back into the workforce and start to have a career again, the earnings loss benefit dissipates as they are being rehabilitated. For some people the thought of doing that is so scary it holds them back a little bit.

I don't know if there could be a tweak made to that program that perhaps would segment it. Perhaps they could get the ELB for a set year, and then re-evaluate after a year or six months or something, so that it gives people an opportunity to test their value in the private sector for a while.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Both of you gentlemen mentioned the problem with communication and the fact that veterans who come to you don't know or cannot get the proper information. On the other hand, this committee has done some studies. We've heard from both DND and from Veterans Affairs Canada about what they do to provide the proper information. For example, on DND's side, before someone is released there are information sessions provided.

Where is the gap? Why does it get to where both sides do whatever they can, and there is still a gap somewhere and people don't know what they're entitled to?

[Ronald Griffis]

I would suggest the gap is there because in normal cases, when the veteran retires, they're not interested in learning everything that's available to them. They're getting out after 25 or 35 years, and they're focusing on being released. They probably have a job lined up somewhere, whether it be in their field from the military or some other field, and they're not interested until it becomes an issue further on in life.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Griffis, what would you recommend in terms of changes that should be implemented to benefit your membership the most?

[Ronald Griffis]

I've asked Veterans Affairs Canada to use us as an advocate to distribute the information. We do it now. We're not looking for compensation of any kind. There are other organizations. There is the NATO Veterans Organization, ANAVETS, and the Legion. They can use the organizations to sell what they have to sell, to put out the information, as opposed to a backgrounder, if they ask the various associations to assist them in distributing the information

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

In one part of your presentation, you remarked that spouses are disrespected and in another part you mentioned they are treated like second-class citizens. Could you shed some light on that? What exactly do you mean?

[Ronald Griffis]

When a soldier is deployed it appears—and I could be wrong on this, but I don't think I am—that the army doesn't really care. It may have changed in the last day or so, but if a soldier is deployed, he is told where to be on a certain date, time, and place, and away you go. The soldier or air person maybe goes home and says to the spouse, “I'm going to country X for six months or a year.” They'll set up some type of vacation or something like that for him, but at the end of the day, they are just told that is where they're going, and that's what they're going to do.

Then when the spouse receives a bit of difficulty, for instance, one of their children plays sports and breaks an arm. That's a team effort. It's a husband and wife effort to look after an emergency situation like that, but it's not a team effort any more. The spouse takes the child to the hospital, or they go by ambulance, and things are repaired. When the spouse has a problem with the house, whether it's a PMQ or their own house, it's incumbent upon the spouse to look after the difficulty, whether it's plumbing, electrical, or the wind blew some tiles off the roof.

Nowadays there are very limited accesses for spouses to go to and say they need help. As I said, they are just not used. They are forgotten.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much.

That does wrap up Mr. Lizon's time, and we have ended the questions.

I would ask something on behalf of the committee. We're not going to get into it today, but we really would appreciate any comment you send along regarding an ongoing issue that obviously is still with us after several years, and that is the transition, DND to Veterans Affairs. We understand there are still some difficulties in the transition, and we get the sense today that there's probably a lot more that could be done in that area. If you would send along any thoughts you might have, we would appreciate it and will include that with the information.

I want to thank you very much on behalf of the committee. We appreciate your presentations. They are very helpful.

We are going to deal with a motion in a minute, but we'll say farewell and thank you to our witnesses, and then suspend for a moment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

I understand, Mr. O'Toole, that you want to make a motion.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

I move that we go in camera, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Okay. We have to make it official, yes.

(Motion agreed to)

[Proceedings continue in camera]