Evidence of meeting #122 for Veterans Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

General  Retired) Walter Natynczyk (Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Michel Doiron  Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs
Steven Harris  Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Commemoration, Department of Veterans Affairs
Rear-Admiral  Retired) Elizabeth Stuart (Assistant Deputy Minister, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Services Branch, Department of Veterans Affairs

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

That's fine, then. I won't worry about the amount; that is in agreement.

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

On the applications, you were talking about how some applications are longer and harder to process than others. If an individual has a bad back or a bad neck or whatever, are they able to provide up front the documents from their doctor in terms of diagnosis, prognosis and X-rays when they submit an application? Or do they have to wait until they apply and then start to get those things?

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

They can provide all the information up front.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Okay. That's great.

For the veterans caregiver recognition benefit, it indicates here that just over 500 people will receive it in 2019-20. I'm a little confused, because they increased the amount, but at the same time, individuals who received it previously somehow no longer qualified for it.

It's like Canada summer jobs. You say that you're going to do more jobs but you cut back on the number of hours. There are people who were receiving it and no longer receive it. Why do they no longer receive it?

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

I know of 26 or 28 cases that are no longer receiving it. The reason is that we had put them into the previous program that was prior to this in error. We didn't cut the program for them that year, but they were put there.... It was an administrative error on behalf of my unit. When the new program came in, the guidelines were very similar, which they no longer met. The reason for those 26 or 28—I stand to be corrected on the exact number—was that we had initially put them there in error, and it was an error from my group.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Does this number sound reasonable to you? Would there be only 500 caregivers across all of Canada who would qualify for support?

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

[Inaudible—Editor]

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Okay. Fine.

Here's a quick question as well. Let's talk about Veterans Affairs offices. They're open—great—10 of them. What did it cost to reopen them as far as getting them up and going is concerned, and are they fully staffed?

5:25 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

We'll have to get you the number of how much it cost. We do have it, but I just don't have it off the top of my head.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

I'd like to know as well the cost per year to run each one and how many visits have been documented for each.

5:30 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

I have the visits, but I don't think I have time to give the information to you. I have the visits for every office. Last time, somebody asked me that.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Could you submit that?

5:30 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

Yes, we can submit that to the committee. I actually have it here.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

That would be great.

5:30 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Department of Veterans Affairs

Michel Doiron

They are fully staffed, notwithstanding the fact that I have 10.9% turnover. They are fully staffed.

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Neil Ellis

That's our time for today. I would like to thank the witnesses for testifying today and for all that you do for our men and women who served.

Do I have a motion to adjourn, Mr. Bratina?

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

Bob Bratina Liberal Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

So moved.

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Neil Ellis

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.