Evidence of meeting #61 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 france.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:35 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Thank you very much for your presentation; it is much appreciated. You provided us with an overview of the situation in your country so that we can continue to provide and improve services to our veterans.
I will try to ask you more specific questions, given how little time I have.
Could you describe the types of programs provided to the wards of the nation, meaning the support you provide to young people whose parents experienced difficult situations?
9:40 a.m.
Project Director to the Executive Director, Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, ministère des Armées
When the parent of a young person is killed in combat or injured to the extent that they are no longer able to provide for the child, an adoption process as a ward of the nation may be undertaken. This takes place before the high court. The case is handled by the Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, and the judge in the court decides, in the name of the nation, whether to adopt the child or not. It is important to note that this does not relieve the injured parents, or those who might remain afterwards, of the parental authority over the child. It is important to clarify that, because sometimes people are reluctant to start the process, because they think their child is going to be taken away.
Once these children become wards of the nation, it applies for life, meaning that they had to be adopted before the age of 18, but they can then be supported until the age of 21 in most cases, and even later. This usually means that the Office funds the education. If the parents have financial difficulties, the Office can provide funding to address difficult financial situations with its social action budget.
Every year, we provide the wards with approximately 3 million euros.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Thank you.
Do you have hospitals for veterans only?
9:40 a.m.
Project Manager, General Secretariat for Administration, Ministère des Armées
These days, we do not have hospitals exclusively for veterans. They are almost all open to civilians, but there are hospitals that give priority to veterans. During an evacuation from a theatre of operations, a hospital in Percy is responsible for receiving most of the injured soldiers. It gives priority to all military personnel, but if civilians had to be treated tomorrow, they could have access.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
So if a veteran is in crisis at around 2 a.m., they have to go to a hospital open to the entire community?
9:40 a.m.
Project Manager, General Secretariat for Administration, Ministère des Armées
That really depends on where the veteran is. If they are in the Paris area, they can easily go to a military hospital. There are not many military hospitals these days. If I remember correctly, there may be 10 or so, eight or nine, I think. They are basically in the large French cities. However, veterans can have access to a Centre médical des Armées, meaning that every military unit has a medical centre nearby with a few doctors, and veterans can knock on that door.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
I have another question.
For instance, if a veteran is discharged from the medical centre and realizes, 10 years later, that they have post-traumatic stress disorder or another disorder, and has needs as a result of their involvement in combat, is there a process to ensure that their case can be reopened easily?
9:40 a.m.
Project Manager, General Secretariat for Administration, Ministère des Armées
It is an administrative issue. It is never easy when it comes to transparency. A file has to be prepared and additional steps must be taken, such as going to a doctor who can assess everything.
Is it very simple? We can agree that, from the injured person's perspective, it is never simple enough. However, the system is there.
Earlier, I talked about the key players in providing support. At this stage in the process, the associations could collect some information that the government will not be able to.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
It's a complicated topic.
Questions often come up here about veterans who haven't been injured in combat. Often, five, 10 or 15 years later, they find themselves in a delicate situation. It's a complicated topic.
What percentage of veterans come back? Has this percentage increased? If so, in which cases?
9:45 a.m.
Project Director to the Executive Director, Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, ministère des Armées
There have certainly been more since Afghanistan.
Earlier, I spoke about the veteran's card, which is issued by the office. The challenge we must face is encouraging young soldiers who have taken part in external operations and who are now leaving the service to request the veteran's card. They can apply for one as they leave the service or a little before. That way, if the injury appears 15 or 20 years later, the veteran can take advantage of support from the outset, because the veteran already has a veteran's card. The office's outreach services are then mobilized.
When someone leaves the institution and doesn't have any psychological or other problems, the veteran's card acts as a sort of safety net. If the injury is triggered one day, the person can go to the office and get emergency first aid or initial support because the individual is already registered with the ONACVG.
9:45 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Do people automatically receive the card when they leave the service?
9:45 a.m.
Project Director to the Executive Director, Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, ministère des Armées
They need to apply, and we encourage them to. Some communications campaigns, targeting young soldiers, are meant to encourage veterans to apply for the card as soon as they leave the service.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Thank you.
I really appreciate what we're learning today.
I have a few questions around the term “terrorism” and how that has changed the way our armed forces are having to fight and the circumstances they are facing. What has been happening in France on your soil with regard to terrorism certainly resonates.
How do the armed forces interact in those circumstances? Where is the breakdown between them and your police force and first responders?
Obviously, these circumstances bring about very horrific circumstances and much apprehension, and I'm wondering if that is changing in any way the way you're going to have to deal with soldiers who are involved in those kinds of circumstances, as far as recognizing their service goes. Is that something that's happening or not?
9:45 a.m.
Project Director to the Executive Director, Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, ministère des Armées
It's a bit complicated for us to talk about it because we're thinking about it.
I will try to present things simply.
As you certainly know, we are fighting terrorism, both abroad, in the context of what we call external operations, and domestically. I will come back to the topic of the veteran's card. Soldiers who are sent on an external operation can take advantage of the veteran's card. They are covered, in that respect. However, when soldiers patrol now in the streets of Paris or domestically, it isn't recognized as an external operation. So they can't request a veteran's card. Symbolically, it would be a little much to say that soldiers who intervene in France, domestically, are taking part in an external operation.
So it's a bit complicated for us to answer the question because we are currently thinking about it. This is an issue that will require follow-up.
I would like to talk about the victims of terrorist acts, although this isn't the subject of your study in committee. In France, victims of acts of terrorism, or victims in the broad sense of the term, such as civilians who are wounded in an attack, are considered victims of war. The Ministère des Armées and the office support them as victims of war. In this case, we no longer speak of veterans.
9:50 a.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Right. I guess what I was trying to get at is that we are facing different circumstances, as are you, in which we're having to look at and consider what this means within our armed forces and in our service. If you have a victim who's considered a war victim on your own soil, it just complicates things, I guess. I appreciate that.
With regard to the board members, you mentioned that they are appointed for four-year terms in the various categories. There are those representing Second World War veterans, those from the post-1964 period, and this type of thing. You indicate that they're appointed. Do they as a group, as a cohort, have any influence on who is appointed on their behalf? How is that done?
9:50 a.m.
Project Director to the Executive Director, Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre, ministère des Armées
We are talking about the board of directors of the office. Its members are appointed by the minister who is responsible for matters relating to veterans. Very often, in fact, it is the associations that propose names. Often, they are the national presidents of these associations. Then it is the minister who, by ministerial order, appoints them to sit on the board of directors.
There are actually representatives, although few in number, of the generation of the soldiers of 1939-1945, the veterans of the wars of Indochina and Algeria especially and, nowadays, veterans from external operations. Representatives also include war widows, wards of the nation and victims of terrorist acts. There is diversity and a fairly impressive richness.
9:50 a.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Right, so within that board, at the moment, your president has not appointed anyone to that position. Is there someone in the role of minister responsible for veterans?
9:50 a.m.
Project Manager, General Secretariat for Administration, Ministère des Armées
If I've understood correctly, you're asking whether a minister is responsible for veterans and this specific issue.
Right now, we have a minister of the armed forces, and at her side is a secretary of state, who is a little lower in rank than the minister and who is responsible for veterans' issues.
9:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you very much.
I want to go back to the question Mr. McColeman asked in regard to lump-sum payments. If a veteran receives a lump-sum payment, is that veteran disqualified from the traditional type of pension? That's the situation we have here. Veterans who have received a lump-sum payment have opted for just that money, and there's a dispute now about the fairness of that, because the lump sum is far less than a traditional pension.
9:50 a.m.
Project Manager, General Secretariat for Administration, Ministère des Armées
The answer is that, ultimately, the person isn't compensated for the injury at one time. The injured member will receive a monthly pension that will be linked to the level of disability. This person will have a military disability pension for life. If the injury worsens during the injured person's life, he or she may request a review of his or her record to obtain a higher disability rate.
9:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
In effect, you do have that traditional type of pension. It's just that it depends on the degree of injury or the ability of the individual to get on with life outside the military.
