Veterans Affairs Committee on May 14th, 2015

[A voice]

Except dinners.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, except dinners.

Anyway, that's the point I wanted to make. I would look to committee members.

[The Chair, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Frank.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I'm pleased with Pierre's openness to hold additional meetings as we deem necessary.

I just hope that in regard to Peter's suggestion—and I don't think Peter meant this—our witnesses aren't restricted to just caregivers, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Veterans Ombudsman. There are others who we would want to appear before the committee as well, others who have received or not received adequate benefits, in their opinion, and who we may want before the committee as well. Otherwise, I'm content.

[The Chair, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Peter.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

That's great. An extra meeting wouldn't be a problem at all, but you'd need at least three. You'd obviously want one to report back to the finance committee on what you're doing. You have to draft a letter and say yes or no, and there may be the odd amendment that we would propose, and we need to discuss those as well.

I would say two meetings for witnesses and a wrap-up meeting to send it back. Normally the process would be that the government introduces legislation, such as Bill C-58, and then it goes to second reading, has a vote, and comes to a committee, and we discuss it then. It normally doesn't go as separate legislation and then is thrown into a budget implementation bill like that. But that's okay. We've talked about that now, so this would be good: two meetings for witnesses and one to wrap up and send it back.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

If I'm hearing correctly, Chair, what we would have, for example, when the House starts sitting again after next week, is that on Tuesday we would have a meeting with witnesses. Then we would have one nighttime meeting with witnesses, and the regular Thursday meeting would be to discuss what we send back to the finance committee. Is that what I'm hearing?

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Sure, we can do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

I love this committee when they get along.

What I hear is we have this consensus as described by Pierre.

Is there anything else to discuss?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Could I ask when would they want witnesses submitted to the Chair?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Jean-François Pagé]

As soon as possible.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Shall we say before...today is Thursday....

[The Clerk]

Tuesday morning, I guess.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

By Tuesday morning.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Chair, are we finished our business and are we about to adjourn? I would like to make a brief comment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Sure.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Whatever you want.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

I had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans Affairs. I had gone last year with the then minister of veterans affairs to walk the Remembrance Trails.

I did not grow up in a military environment of any sort. I don't know if I've said this before, but to see even now some of the green trucks leave our armoury and drive down the street in Guelph, it's a phenomenon in Guelph. I mean everybody stops and marvels at their presence. That's about the closest we got despite the fact that John McCrae was born and raised in Guelph. While we celebrate that, the reality of the work and sacrifice of our forces is not brought home enough to those that live in our community.

I have to tell you what a remarkable experience it has been for me not just to be on this committee, but to have had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands and march with so many people. I remember one evening particularly we were in Groesbeek. We met at the city hall. We had no idea what was to follow, other than we were going to march. Erin and I, and all the other members of our delegation, assembled at the front of this line and we started to march about three kilometres to the Groesbeek cemetery. We marched through the small, narrow streets of the village and then out into the countryside.

We got to the cemetery and I could not resist turning around to see how long the line was. I could not see the end of the line. There were more than 3,000 people, Dutch and Canadians alike, who had joined into this march. Not a word was spoken. We were instructed not to speak. I have to tell you it was one of the most overwhelming experiences I have ever had, to see the commemoration, the respect, the love, and the gratitude the people in the Netherlands have for the Canadian effort.

I'll end with this. What really hit home was that we live in Canada where in our lifetime, and for many preceding generations, we've never felt the real threat, not the real threat, of losing our freedom, because we're on the other side of the pond. The Netherlands was a country that was occupied. They lost their freedom and had to fight to get it back. It suddenly struck me that it's a whole different experience when you have suffered what they've suffered for as long as they suffered, and had to fight to regain their freedom, and had others from around the world come to their aid to do it. Wow. It was an overwhelming experience.

I want to thank everyone for the opportunity I was given to go over and experience that. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

I'm glad I gave you the opportunity to share that with us. I'm quite moved by it and I thank you very much. I have not had that experience. I hope that when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation in five years this committee will want to instruct the powers that be to send me, of course, as the chair of the committee and the MP for Orleans.

Go ahead, sir.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, if I could add a footnote to that, I've been a number of times.

Frank, I don't know if you noticed, but there's one grave marker over by the fence. Did anybody point that out to you?

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

No.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I can't remember the fellow's name, but he was the guy who looked after the cemetery for decades. He died and there was special dispensation—

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

That's right.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

The only people who could be buried there are Commonwealth or war greats. He got special permission to be buried with his boys.

Also, the fondest wish of the current caretaker—and he means it sincerely—is that he be killed by one of the trees at Groesbeek falling over and hitting him, so that he can be buried there too. That's the depth of love.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Yes, it's really something.