Veterans Affairs Committee on June 10th, 2019

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

Mr. Bratina.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Thank you both for coming in. Thank you for your service. I have in my office the Hamilton flag that hung in Kandahar. I gratefully received that. The veterans mean a lot to all of us who are here at the committee. We appreciate the fact that you've taken over this difficult portfolio.

Let me ask you this. I worked, in 45 years in the private sector, at nine companies with 17 managements. Every time the management changed, something happened. Did you find, when you came into the office, that you needed to do a lot? Were you satisfied with the way the systems were? Did you rearrange the furniture, get a better coffee machine? I'm being facetious, but you know what I'm getting at.

[Craig L. Dalton]

Yes. Based on what I heard from the staff, first off, and then from veterans groups and advocates, we'd almost arrived at a point, as an office, where we needed to stop and take a look at the good work that had been done and the contributions that our office had made, in concert with a number of other veterans groups and advocacy groups. The recommendations that are contained in that report are shared and often echoed by others in the community.

I think we also realized that we had to look forward and ask ourselves where we might best be able to add value to the veterans community. A large number of the recommendations we've made and that have been acted upon by VAC are in the area of financial security, not surprisingly. If and when those are addressed, where do we go next?

I would say that I think it's a good time for our mandate to be reviewed. That's what I'd like to see happen, and I'd like to see that done externally. We're going to do that internally as part of the first audit of our office, but I think that after 12 years in operation, it's probably time for the work to be done.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

How would you suggest that be done? You said not internally but externally.

[Craig L. Dalton]

Yes. I suppose there are a number of ways to do that. I would welcome, for example, the Auditor General having a look at our office and asking such questions as, “The office has been in existence for 12 years. Is it achieving the outcomes that were expected? Does the mandate make sense?” I would share with you that we have a very narrow mandate. We also live and work in an ecosystem in Veterans Affairs where veterans have a number of mechanisms available to them to appeal decisions. For certain things, they go to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. For others, they come to the ombudsman. For others still, they go to the department for first- and second-level review. When you look at our client satisfaction survey results, and based on what I've heard from veterans, I think that's confusing and frustrating for veterans.

Another thing that concerns me is that when I meet with people, they tell me a story, and when I ask them why they didn't come to us with it, I hear, “We don't think you can help us. We don't think you have the teeth you need.” Some veterans advocates have raised the issue of trust, so when I hear that there's concern in the veterans community about folks coming to us as a result of our mandate, that causes me some concern.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

In interacting with veterans, how often do you have to tell them that you don't do that or you can't do that or they need to...? That must be the frustrating part of your job. I guess it relates to the mandate that you're talking about.

[Craig L. Dalton]

Yes, certainly. Our front-line staff do a great job there. There's certainly value, which our staff take quite seriously, in this notion of being able to help that veteran, when they call, in something that we would call a “hot hand-off”—not saying that it's not in our mandate and that we don't do this, but getting them to the organization or the office that might be able to help them with it.

Our office stats are quite interesting. We had roughly 1,600 calls last year into our office. When you look at the number of final complaints that get actioned inside our mandate, it's quite an interesting number.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

It's now Ms. Ludwig's turn.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Okay.

Thank you.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Dalton, thank you for your very important work. You mentioned transition. Did you come across or did you hear anything about the feedback on the transition side from people who had acquired a trade when they were with the Department of National Defence, made the transition to civilian life and had their skilled trade recognized in a civilian company?

[Craig L. Dalton]

I haven't in my time with the office, but from previous experience, I'm aware of those challenges in licensing, even from province to province, and in translating some of the skills that are acquired in uniform, and how they're acquired, into civilian qualifications. To my understanding, it has been a long-standing issue.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Along with that, did anything come out regarding PLAR, prior learning assessment and recognition, and how to compare apples to apples?

[Craig L. Dalton]

I have not been involved in that to any great degree. I would refer you to the CAF-DND ombudsman. We appeared before the government operations committee not long ago, and they responded to a question around PLAR and the issue in general of qualifications transferring.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Okay.

[Sharon Squire]

I think that's also something that the new transition group at CAF is looking at, in co-operation with VAC. I think that's part of their long-term plan.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

We heard from veterans before the committee that this was a concern. In terms of looking at the value they feel after they've finished their active service, not to have their skills recognized is pretty defeating, in many aspects.

[Craig L. Dalton]

Yes. Absolutely.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I've visited a couple of family resource centres with the minister over the last couple of years. I'm wondering if you've heard any feedback on the significance of the changes with the family resource centres for families.

[Craig L. Dalton]

In terms of making them accessible to veterans for that two-year...?

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Right.

[Craig L. Dalton]

I haven't received any specific feedback. I'm not sure if the office has.

[Sharon Squire]

I know that when we've visited in the past, that access certainly has been something that people have wanted too.

I think one of the questions I have around this goes back to the rural and remote locations. Those family resource centres, which do great work, are fixed, in a sense. I know that some of them have outreach programs and they try to provide services remotely, but I've wondered whether they're able to cover that veteran footprint well enough. We have not looked at that yet.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Okay, thank you.

I thank my colleague Ms. Blaney for raising the rural divide. I represent a riding in New Brunswick. We have 75% of the training grounds, so a number of members in active service eventually end up.... As much as Gagetown is supposed to be the hottest place in Canada in the summertime, a lot of them make their way back. In rural communities with fewer than 5,000 people—some less than 1,000—some of them talk about using My VAC for finding services, but there is a certainly a challenge in rural communities to reach out.

[Craig L. Dalton]

Yes.