Yes, sir.
Evidence of meeting #44 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #44 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
I'm going to let Mr. Lizon finish his thought, because I only have a couple of points.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
What I was asking about is that I understand there are programs in place, but despite the fact that these programs exist, there is an information gap, which has been indicated to us by many people. That's why I was asking how you wish to address it.
9:40 a.m.
Director, Casualty Support Management, Department of National Defence
We have actually addressed it with Veterans Affairs. For everybody who leaves the armed forces now, there are documents you must sign when you leave. They're called “clearances”. You go through supply, through the pay system, and through everybody else.
One of those clearance items now is a transition interview with Veterans Affairs. Everybody who leaves has to sit down with a case manager from Veterans Affairs, whether you're injured or not, to go through what your career looks like insofar as your health is concerned. Veterans Affairs explains at that time, one-on-one, all of the benefits that are available and takes notes on anything in case you do open a file in the future. That is being done, but it is being done before you leave the service.
9:40 a.m.
Associate Vice-President, Operations Policy and Product Management, Department of National Defence
In addition, because we are responsible for the ongoing case management for those who are medically released, whenever we see a change in condition, or a change in incapacity, or a change in needs, we regularly refer the claimant to Veterans Affairs. That is being done on a regular basis.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Very quickly, what's your assessment of Monster's services?
9:40 a.m.
Associate Vice-President, Operations Policy and Product Management, Department of National Defence
I'm not aware of that program.
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence
Are you talking about Monster.com?
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Yes, Monster.com or Monster.ca. They have the Canadian....
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence
As I said, we've talked to them before, but it's such a different program. We think there are better opportunities in Canada, and we're working with this other agency for that.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
9:40 a.m.
An hon. member
Give the guy a question and he takes—
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Voices
Oh, oh!
9:40 a.m.
Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence
We've talked to them at this point—
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
Thank you very much.
I like what you've described, Colonel Blais. Basically, it's an “AAG in and DAG out” kind of thing, and getting all those things done.
To Frank's earlier point on Canada Company, just to give folks some clarity on how this all began in the first place, it actually happened in my mess, the Royal Regiment of Canada. It was something called Batoche Company before it was called Canada Company. It was geared towards just supporting the troops and the regiment and was something that all units had. But to Colonel Blake Goldring's everlasting glory, he laid the foundation stone for bigger things when he decided that this had to go much wider. Thus, Canada Company was born. The intent was not to take over government programs and plans, but to ensure that leading citizens, leading lights, and captains of industry had a role to play in supporting our troops nationally. That was really the undercurrent that drove all of it.
As we've seen, we have tremendous groups such as True Patriot Love, Soldier On, Treble Victor, and so many others that are doing great work, and they want to do that voluntarily. It's not that they feel they have to do it. They feel they have a duty to do it. I applaud all of those people for all of that great work they do.
Mr. Marcus, you said that sometimes you get a ministerial. How quickly are these ministerials resolved?
9:40 a.m.
Associate Vice-President, Operations Policy and Product Management, Department of National Defence
Sir, that depends on the level of complexity of the case. It depends on the evaluation and on whether further medical evidence is required, and then we give the person making the ministerial complaint an opportunity to do so. There's a variety of cases. It could be two days or it could be 200 days.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
I agree, Commodore, on the comms and marketing; everything boils down to communications and marketing at some point.
I'll just muse out loud. I'm wondering if collectively all these groups should get together and create a glossary of all the terms and benefits we have and put it all in one place. There are great programs and great descriptions of these things, but they're in a lot of different places. Some sort of directory of these might be useful.
9:45 a.m.
Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence
We have created a directory on my web page. If you're regular forces personnel, a dependant, or a veteran, it tells you what you are and about all the various services of my organization as well as any other organizations that we know about.
They can find it.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
I'm definitely going to check that out.
This is my last point, because I think I'm just about out of time. You just referenced the Monster thing, but it's the description of duties—not going that way—and sometimes troops still have problems explaining in the civilian world the kinds of skills they gain. We can say “leadership” and “management”, which are very generic, but there are a lot of soft skills and a lot of nuances they learn on the job that can be very effectively applied in various civilian endeavours. I think that is something that bears a little bit of extra effort to define.
9:45 a.m.
Director, Casualty Support Management, Department of National Defence
I think that's why, through both the MET program with Canada Company and Prospect, one of the keys to this is individual coaching. They get assistance in writing resumés, etc., to make sure that we're using private-sector-speak versus military-speak.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau
What's left for me to do here is to thank you very sincerely.
Thank you, Commodore Watson.
Thank you very much, Colonel Blais and Mr. Marcus.
I would like to wish all of you a happy Easter.
The committee will not be sitting over the next two weeks, so that all the committee members can celebrate Easter with their families and friends, and so that they can spend some time in their ridings.
The 45th meeting of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs is scheduled to be held on April 21, starting as usual at 8:45. At that time, we will continue our study on the continuum of transition services. I learned this morning that the ombudsman will appear on that day. The rest of the agenda is still being worked on.
I also learned this morning that, notwithstanding what I just said about the meeting of the 21st, there might be a glitch. The Minister of Finance announced this morning that the budget, which the opposition has been clamouring for, is going to happen on that very day.
9:45 a.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!