Evidence of meeting #69 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 soldiers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay. Thank you very much.
General, you mentioned deployment to Mali.
Did the German military use mefloquine with soldiers who were deploying to areas where malaria was an issue?
9:50 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
We used it.
9:50 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Yes.
9:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
All right. Was there an issue with those former military service personnel in regard to after-effects from using mefloquine? Has that become an issue at all?
9:50 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
After-effects have not become an issue, but there were some complaints during the mission that personnel felt psychologically altered, so we developed a system to very carefully monitor whether we had a real danger of malaria, whether we had this anopheles mosquito and there was a danger of transmitting malaria in this area or not. If there was no malaria transmitter found, then mefloquine use was ended. This was the case for Afghanistan, for example.
9:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Are those who complained being treated specifically for mefloquine toxicity?
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
We don't have an issue with that, no. Personally, I don't remember any case of lasting problems with mefloquine. I do not remember that. That does not mean that it is not a problem, but I don't know about it.
9:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that.
One of the things that is currently under discussion here in Canada is the idea of sacred obligation to those who were deployed outside of the country. After your description of the laws that came into effect once Germany was involved in foreign deployment, I'm wondering if there is a sense among the German public, among members of the government, that there is this sacred obligation to those who serve their country, a sacred obligation to care for them?
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
No. I'm a little bit lost with the expression “sacred obligation”. What does it mean?
9:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
It's the obligation of a country to care for those who served and who were injured in that service.
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Thank you.
Yes, there is a common understanding, at least after Afghanistan, that we have to care about our soldiers and that we really have to support them. There's support coming from the press side also.
The question is not whether we do this sacred obligation or have mandatory care for them; no, the question is how we do it, in every single case.
As I said a bit tongue in cheek before, we have the ministry, the judicial side, and the lawyer side at the end. They always have big discussions, and as I told you, some lawyers are living very well on that. It was a bit tongue in cheek, but it's correct.
9:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
There are some lawyers living very well in this country in that regard too. Thank you.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Neil Ellis
Thank you.
For the analysts, I have one clarifying question. How many soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan? Do you have a figure off the top of your head?
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Let me say that overall I think it's nearly the strength of the Bundeswehr today—180,000—but that's a very rough number. It is not a true number.
We once calculated that we had 300,000 cycles. A cycle is four months. If you go for four months, it is three times a year. If you go for 10 years, you have 30 times that. We were up between 2,000 and 10,000, so you might calculate how many soldiers or whatever. Some soldiers went twice, or three or four or five times, so it's not an easy number to discuss.
If I tell you the very, very rough numbers, we had 300,000 cycles done by 150,000, and I think that's going in a good direction—
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
—but it's very, very rough.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Neil Ellis
It's very rough. Okay.
We have a three-minute round for Mr. Samson, and then Mr. Bratina wanted a question. I think that should do it.
Mr. Samson, you're up.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Thank you.
To continue with my series of questions concerning certification, occupational skills, and moving into the workforce, you did give me an answer there, but now I'd like to go a little deeper to ask about your relationship with the private sector in terms of hiring veterans when they finish in the military. Can you expand on that and maybe share some of the strategies that are in place?
9:55 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Yes, I can. Indeed, in this area the German armed forces are taking good care of them.
First of all, if you have been a temporary limited-career soldier, you can apply for a position as a civil servant in the same area you had been in before. This means that if you are an NCO, you might apply for mid-level service. If you were an officer before, you can apply for higher service.
Second, the German armed forces invite civilian employers to conferences that depict the abilities of the soldiers so that the the civilian employers can have a good picture of these abilities.
Third, there's a common understanding that soldiers who were educated in doing things straight-on and thinking very logically and analytically in putting things forward are very much liked in the civilian workforce.
Normally it's not a problem to get the time-limited career soldiers into civil work. However, for the mission-related traumatized soldiers, it is indeed a problem to get these soldiers into work. Very often when it comes to this situation, they will not agree with the fact of their traumatization and will want to carry on until the day they are no longer able to.
10 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Thank you.
To continue with the transition piece, do you release any serving members before all benefits and pensions and everything are in place before they leave?
10 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Do you release before they leave?
10 a.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
For example, would all benefits be in place and all information provided so that when the member is discharged, everything is in place?
10 a.m.
BGen Bernd Mattiesen
Yes, this is in the normal regulations, of course.
This means that normally these are time-limited career soldiers. The lifetime career soldiers are no problem. They get paid all their life, and if they are retired, they normally get 72% monthly, so they're looked after.
The time-limited soldiers get an announcement of their retirement, normally two years ahead, and then they get information about the possibilities. They can have a date to visit social service. Most importantly, the service supports you in finding civilian employment and additional civilian education.