Evidence of meeting #28 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 treatment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Advocate, International Mefloquine Veterans’ Alliance
Today it is certainly adequate, but it took a hellacious fight to get there. But, absolutely, today I'm certainly pleased.
Conservative
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, again.
Gentlemen, we train you to be a unit. We train you to believe in each other and protect each other and defend each other, as well as defend us, and for that we're thankful, but, at the same time, we train you to become...and I hate to use the word “brainwash” you in that way. The reality is you are trained to do that and once you release, it's very hard for you to let that go because we don't decommission you once we've done that.
Mr. Lalancette, you talked about how your family was a victim, and I think we've all heard from the rest of you that indirectly you're saying the same thing, that your families are the victims here. Has VAC stepped up to help your families?
Veteran, As an Individual
No. They offered to help me with my son's studies. I invited him to move in with me on January 25 when I moved into that apartment that my clinical care manager got for me. It took months and they finally approved it and I got $87 to pay the bus ride for my son and that was it.
Also, medically, I think both my son and my ex desperately need mental health assistance; they need guidance; they need to understand what happened. My son right now has completely disengaged from me to the point where he removed my last name from his name. He hates me. He doesn't understand what happened. I didn't understand what happened.
My son who moved in with me is fed up seeing me bounce off the walls. He can't even concentrate at school. He's returning to Quebec right now to live with his mother. I'll be alone at the end of the month. It's a living nightmare, and my family suffered immensely.
Conservative
Veteran, As an Individual
Yes. Veterans Affairs work off a policy where if my spouse were to access any care from a psychologist, all her visits to the psychologist would be subtracted from mine. We have to devote the focus of the care to me to keep me stabilized so I can be a productive part of the family.
Conservative
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Thank you.
Mr. Kett, I'm going to ask you quickly, because I want to get back to Mr. Bona for a quick question, if I can.
Veteran, As an Individual
My children are the biggest victims in this. My connection to them has been severed by the move, when they were taken away from me. I've been alienated from them, and it's really starting to show. We need help.
Conservative
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Thank you.
Mr. Dowe, I'll ask you afterwards.
Mr. Bona, you're from Saskatchewan. I'm from Saskatchewan. This whole row is from Saskatchewan. You mentioned your wife accessing mental services. In Saskatchewan, we have a huge difficulty. We've talked about this in committee before, about getting mental health services for our veterans in remote areas. How do you deal with that? When your wife does need those services, does she go to Edmonton or does she go to Winnipeg?
Conservative
Veteran, As an Individual
—the focus is to keep me stable. I can't miss sessions because—
Conservative
Conservative
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Thank you.
You mentioned you're getting treatment, you mentioned a doctor, and you said she was very passionate about—
Conservative
Veteran, As an Individual
Sad to say, she moved to B.C. this year. It took me six months of bouncing through different psychologists to find another one who was of similar quality to Susan Brock, and I found one in Dr. D'Arcy Helmer in Saskatoon, an excellent psychologist.
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Thank you very much, and thank you for your stories.
John, when you were talking earlier, you said that Kyle Brown and Master Corporal Matchee were victims.
What do you mean?
Advocate, International Mefloquine Veterans’ Alliance
I said that because Master Corporal Matchee experienced psychosis, hallucinations, and uncontrollable rage, which, being impaired by a drug and enabled by an unlawful order, put him over the edge. When he came to and realized what he was facing, what was happening with him, it was too much, and he tried to commit to suicide.
Kyle Brown faced the opprobrium of an entire nation. He was the scapegoat for the entire tour.
I've been in contact, intermittently, as best I can, with Kyle over the last year and a half. Kyle is in the same position that a great many other soldiers and veterans will be in when they reach a state of discovery and an understanding that they may have an acquired brain injury. This may be the answer to all the problems, or most of the problems that they have been attributing to post-traumatic stress or whatnot and the reasons why they're resistant to treatments on conventional therapies.
Kyle is having difficulty trying to come to grips with all of this. He wants to be happy. He understands that there's a lot out there today that will speak a lot greater to what he had to suffer that night and what he continues to suffer to this day.
Absolutely, Clayton Matchee's family have indeed, I believe, suffered the most because he's not entirely lucid to understand what's going on with him anymore. It's Marj, his wife, and it's the Matchee family, the mum and the dad, and the community, all of them, who have had to wear this.
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Dave, can you describe your relationship with Master Matchee?
