I didn't go to Acadia for nothing, sir.
The new Veterans Charter was introduced in 2006. There's been one amendment, with three items to it. This was before NATO vets was even formed.
The new Veterans Charter was a four-year study by the Department of National Defence and the veterans affairs committee. Since its inception, the charter has been studied by many panels—I won't list them all—including Queen's University, the Claxton papers; this Parliamentary standing committee; and more recently, a number of excellent reports from the Veterans Ombudsman. Would you believe there are close to 200 recommendations out there that have been made for improvements to the charter? To date, very little of substance has been done to address these issues.
The most obvious discrepancy in the charter is the provision of proper financial support for those veterans with severe disabilities, particularly those in the lower ranks. Changes need to be made to the new Veterans Charter to ensure that veterans with severe disabilities receive compensation equivalent to that under the previous pension act . The most obvious discrepancies come from programs or benefits that were eliminated under the NVC.
Additionally, changes need to be made to address the lack of financial support for veterans, as has been mentioned by the president of the Legion, after the age of 65, when veterans may have the most need. All benefits should continue until the time of a veteran's death, and they should not be stopped once the veteran receives the Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan. Like other Canadians, veterans earned the CPP or QPP.
The discriminatory policy that applies to reserve force personnel serving side by side with regular force, but who are compensated at a much lower scale for equivalent injuries, is a gross injustice that must be fixed. What's the difference if I lose my arm or he loses his arm. He's regular; I'm reserve. I get less. That is inexcusable.
Overall, to change the new Veterans Charter to accommodate veterans with severe disabilities and include those items outlined above would not be very costly, since only 4% of all new Veterans Charter veterans are considered seriously disabled.
One of the most important recommendations is that creating separate standards and pension categories for veterans with severe disabilities may ensure that the new Veterans Charter supports veterans who are most in need. The current feeling within the veterans community towards the government in general, and Veterans Affairs, is one of, to put it mildly, dissatisfaction about the lack of action to correct the many known—200—deficiencies that have been noted. These have all been documented by the office of the ombudsman. Timely implementation of these measures would go a long way to regaining the support of your veterans community and provide a starting point for a more positive relationship between all concerned parties.
Members of the standing committee, please, the time for talk and studies has long since passed. It is now time for positive action, as Gord said. The bottom line is that the time for action is now. The veterans cannot wait any longer.
Thank you.