Veterans Affairs Committee on Nov. 30th, 2017

[Bernard Butler]

I would say that we've had an absolutely amazing year. For 2017, as you know, there were three major international events, which were kicked off with Vimy and were followed by the 75th anniversary of Dieppe and most recently, by the 100th anniversary of Passchendaele. This was, as I say, just amazing for all those folks who participated. We were so delighted to have the parliamentary secretary attend in Passchendaele to see first-hand what it was like to really experience dealing with Canadians overseas, dealing with our veterans overseas, dealing with all of our colleagues, and so on. This has taken up, really, an awful lot of our time from the commemoration sector perspective, as well as Veterans' Week, which we've just come off of, and which, I think, was universally accepted to be a very positive experience. Not only were there all those overseas events, but they were all matched by events in Canada. We were so pleased to have Mr. Brassard with us as well, at Vimy, to see the effects.

Now the team is turning its attention to 2018. We're looking at some major events for 2018. The 65th anniversary of the Korean War will be one of them, and also the last 100 days of the First World War. We're working with our colleagues and allies overseas, mapping our planning to what other countries are going to be doing overseas at that time. This is where we are focused right at the moment, pushing out a plan for 2018 and also starting the discussion internally around where we go after that. I'm basically looking to my team to say we need to develop a plan for commemoration over the next five years. I think we'll see some very exciting opportunities over that time.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Okay, thank you.

Changing gears a bit, we've talked a lot about homelessness, in general, but also homeless veterans. As you know, there's a recently announced national housing strategy over the next 10 years. Is there any item in the supplementary estimates that touches on housing assistance for veterans, or is there any dialogue or input from your department that's helped in regard to the national housing strategy to address housing needs for veterans?

[Bernard Butler]

Perhaps while my colleague is just looking up the appointed question on the supplementary estimates, what I might like to do, Mr. Chair, is just give you a bit of a sense of what we're doing from a departmental point of view on the homelessness strategy.

You've identified the housing strategy that's recently been announced. Veterans Affairs works with CMHC to ensure that veterans were identified as a vulnerable group in that mix. We'll work with CMHC in terms of the funding that's been allocated by government over the next 10 years to address that. Veterans Affairs is also working very closely with ESDC on a homelessness partnering strategy where, again, veterans are recognized as a vulnerable group, a priority group. We will work ESDC and our other partners on that. In terms of our basic approach to homelessness, we have essentially a four-point plan. We have a lot of ongoing activity and it basically falls under four points.

One is to leave and leverage. We see Veterans Affairs as having a leading role to play in coordinating a lot of the work that's being done across Canada at all levels of government and also with non-profit organizations. We see ourselves as working with them to help, as I say, coordinate and leverage existing resources out there.

We're very concerned about finding veterans who are homeless and, again, working with colleagues and organizations out there doing that. Once they're found, it's about assisting those veterans, through all of the programming at our district levels, to get them off the street and provide all of the range of supports from rehabilitation and onward.

The fourth prong of our strategy is about prevention. It's to work with our colleagues, all of these groups, and with veterans in the transition process in particular to position them so that their needs are identified before they leave the military. Through our rehabilitation programs, our career transition programs, our education programs, the new veteran emergency fund that's been identified for budget 2017, and so on, we try to ensure that we help prevent homelessness in the veteran population.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you, Doug.

We now have Mr. Samson for six minutes.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you, all three, for being here today. I very much appreciate it. Monsieur Doiron, it's the second time we get at it, so we'll try to continue to grow in finding answers together.

My first question is extremely important. In speaking with veterans, they are not aware of many of the new programs we've put in place, but let's go deeper. Why are they not aware? The feedback they are giving me is that the caseworkers are not aware of the new programs coming out. My question would be, what have we done in the last two years as far as PD, professional development, for these caseworkers is concerned so that they are able to give the utmost support to our veterans?

[Michel Doiron]

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Samson, it's always a pleasure.

We have invested a lot of time and money in, I don't know if the term is “upgrading”, but investing and improving the knowledge of our case managers, and I would go further, all of our employees.

The reality is with the influx of money we've received in the last couple of years, we've hired over 460 new employees. These are new positions, new employees, plus an attrition rate of probably between 10% and 15%, so we're probably close to 600 new people joining the department, but there are 460 new positions. We decided to really bring them into this care, compassion, respect environment, so we developed a national training program for our new people where we teach them—I don't know if that's the right term; I don't want to sound degrading in any way—we educate them on our new programs and bring them into this care, compassion, respect environment of giving the benefit of the doubt to the veteran.

They are professionals. They are case managers. They are social workers, nurses. They have the education, but what's important is whether they understand the military culture and our programs. We've been investing a lot, so much so that our more experienced case managers have come back to us and said, “Wait a minute. This is all nice and dandy that you are doing that with the new guys, but what about us? We need this recycling.” So we've embarked since April 2017 on recycling. It's not the same length of training, but it's recycling the people.

When veterans say the case managers don't know about the new programs, I'm always a little concerned because they should.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I'm going to stop you there, because we could talk about a lot. I'm sure there's good PD, professional development, happening, but that's something we can look at in the future. Thank you. At least the point is made that we need to continue to drill in that area.

Mr. Doiron, my second question follows up on the one I asked you about a month ago. I told you that there were no pain doctors in Nova Scotia and that some veterans in my riding were faced with an extremely difficult situation in terms of cannabis, to which they were entitled. You said that it wasn't necessarily about pain specialists, but that it could also be psychologists or other mental health experts.

We then took action and sent the requests to the Department of Veterans Affairs, but we did not receive a positive answer. They even questioned the right to use the services of those experts. So I still have the same problem I did one month ago.

Could you help me understand the situation better?

[Michel Doiron]

Absolutely.

Once again, let me first stress that Veterans Affairs Canada does not provide medical care. I understand the situation in Nova Scotia, but the fact remains that it is the responsibility of the provinces to administer medical care and to give veterans what we call scripts, not marijuana prescriptions. In fact, we are not talking about prescriptions for marijuana, since it is not a recognized drug that can be prescribed in the same way as other drugs. For doctors to be able to prescribe it, they must be assigned a certain number.

I think it's called a DIN, but I stand to be corrected by the doctors; I know there are some in the room.

You are talking about some veterans in your riding. However, I cannot talk about specific cases, because the information is confidential.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Yes.

[Michel Doiron]

Each application is assessed. On our end, we provide the veterans with a list of doctors we know. It is then up to them to find a doctor prepared to provide them scripts for 10 grams. It must be said that any doctor can write a prescription for three grams. Veterans have to go to specialists only when they need more than three grams.

Clearly, when veterans have mental health problems related to their service, a certified psychiatrist can write the prescription. If you were told that it was not the case, send me the note and I'll take a look.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Okay. Thank you very much.

How much time do I still have, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

You have 30 seconds.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Oh, you're always cutting me at 30 seconds.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

I'm going to hold you tight to 30 seconds.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Concerning the education program—the six and 12—which is crucial, some veterans are telling me that they are not necessarily able, depending on their situation, to access it. Can dependants—spouses or kids—have access to those programs, in replacement of the veteran?

[Bernard Butler]

The answer is no. It's a benefit paid to the veteran.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

For the last six minutes—we're going to have to end after this round—Ms. Wagantall will split the time with Mr. Brassard.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I thought you were going to stick with me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

We could try that. You have two seconds left. We can give them to Ms. Wagantall.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

You indicated that the advertising funds, over $2 million, were split between commemoration and mental health. How much of that is going toward mental health programs?

[RAdm Elizabeth Stuart]

I do not have the specifics on that.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Can you get that for me?

[RAdm Elizabeth Stuart]

Yes, I can.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Thank you.

Also, within that mental health venue, I'm wondering whether there is any communication planned to reach out to those who are required to take mefloquine, specifically because the surgeon general has now moved it to being a drug of last resort and Health Canada has changed the labelling, with significantly more serious repercussions attributed to it. Is there any kind of outreach to our veterans who are required to take it? I would like to know that as well.

Also, as you're training your case managers, what training are they receiving in regard to mefloquine? I'm sure there are questions coming forward.

[Michel Doiron]

I'm not aware of any specific communications concerning mefloquine. I will confirm this, but I'm not aware of any. I think we go at a much higher level.

I want to stress something I've stressed here before. When it comes to mefloquine or any other situation, we at Veterans Affairs Canada don't prescribe. At the end of the day, the cause of the injury.... As long as you have the diagnosis and it's linked to your service, whether it's mefloquine or...I know we've talked a lot about sexual trauma and things such as that—