Veterans Affairs Committee on March 22nd, 2018

[Glen Kirkland]

There were a few different questions in there. Yes, I deal with a lot of people transitioning in and out, and it has been very successful that way.

I'll give you just a quick story.

My assistant was 30-some years in the military and is suicidal, as we speak. I moved him a block away from me so I could make sure I could check on him every day and it's.... Sorry, it's just that he's been left completely high and dry by the government. The guy has gone through hell, and he doesn't get any compensation.

Also, we talk about how everyone wants to be a success story and all that. I got denied a benefit and the exact reasoning was, well, how can my injuries be affecting me very much if I can be a successful real estate agent. But they don't see that I wake up and I smell burnt hair and I hear the screams of my friends who died feet away from me. They don't understand that it really sucks to not be able to see out of one eye or that I pick out chunks of metal out of my face every morning when I shave.

So, yes, you suck it up and you soldier on, but there's a lot going on, and it's pretty disheartening.

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

I'm sorry to put you through that, Glen.

Sherri Elms, who was here, lost her husband. She talked about the moral injury that our veterans and our soldiers are experiencing because of what you're raising: that lack of recognition of what you've gone through and lack of valuing you for your service by giving you the compensation that you really do deserve. We're hearing that over and over again here on this committee. Canadians get very upset at this as well. Thank you for being willing to share that with us.

Keith, do you have anything you would like to add in that regard?

[Keith McAllister]

No, he said it all.

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

Okay, thank you.

Keith, you mentioned SMEs. I like that. I like that acronym.

Over and over again, we've heard it today. Aaron, you are very involved with the advisory committees, with the impression that you were giving valuable information to improve the system because you're part of the group that needs that care. That's the sensible place to go to learn what needs to be done and, quite honestly, how to do it.

When you talk about subject matter experts, where do you see that we need to use those individuals far more within the government in making sure that we're actually giving our veterans what they deserve?

[Keith McAllister]

It's just by doing what we're doing here today and hearing from us veterans: having a working group, and then addressing a problem, say, one problem, and having veterans who care, like me and others, come up with a valuable solution. We know the system. We know each other. I take care of myself. Mr. Kirkland looks after himself. We all look after ourselves as veterans because that's all we have to do now. But when we need help from our government; we need it.

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

Right.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

We'll end now with Mr. Eyolfson, for three and a half minutes.

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

Thank you.

I had a number of questions but something else has come to the forefront.

Mr. Kirkland, you said that your friend right now is suicidal. Is he okay? Can we reach out to him? Does he need help, and is there something we can do immediately to reach out?

[Glen Kirkland]

He has reached out. This has been an ongoing thing since September and he's on the mend now. But it took a barrage of Twitter and Facebook comments and everything else to get any attention paid to his situation. In the meantime, the burden is on someone, and I've had to cut this gentleman a couple of cheques and move him closer, within my proximity.

I was the number one agent in Canada last year for real estate with HomeLife Realty. I live in a very modest home. ”Modest” might be an understatement because of how much financial responsibility, moral responsibility, I have that just doesn't seem to be passed on through to Veterans Affairs.

That's one of the most disheartening things. No matter how hard you work, there are always people out there who are in need. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of that's been thrown on my shoulders.

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

I understand.

Further to that, would you be willing to—at the end, not during this testimony—provide us with his contact information and seeing if it's okay if we just contact him and follow up?

[Glen Kirkland]

I don't think that hearing from the people who he's been fighting is going to really benefit him mentally right now.

I'm not going to play armchair psychologist or anything, but he is getting the help that he needs. Again, I think maybe one of his biggest post-traumatic stress issues is dealing with the government.

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

All right. Thank you.

I just want to clarify. When were you discharged?

[Glen Kirkland]

I had nine years and seven months, I believe.

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

What year were you discharged?

[Glen Kirkland]

I believe in 2015.

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

All right. Thank you.

Has there been any progress in your claims since then, or any changes as to what happened at the time of your discharge?

[Glen Kirkland]

I was very excited to hear about the increase and making it retroactive to the lump sum payment, but then the way that it was done it was so minimal. It was indexed.

So, no, there hasn't been much change. Again, I have paperwork saying the reason my claim was denied is that I'm successful. How much could my injuries be affecting me?

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

We'll end with Mr. Kitchen. You have one and a half minutes.

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Gentlemen, thank you for your service and for being here.

I had my father transition out and found out, on his deathbed, about his being exposed to Agent Orange. My brother transitioned out, my sister transitioned out, my former brother-in-law transitioned out, and I have three nephews who are in the service right now who will at some point in time transition out. I'm hoping we can make this progress as quickly as we can, and make it efficient—as, Keith, you indicated yours was successful.

I'm going to go very quickly. Mr. Kirkland, I spent my career as a chiropractor. As a chiropractor, I bought and paid $4,000 a year for disability insurance. I paid extra for it for my own-occupational rider. That meant that if I got hurt and could no longer work, as long as I did not go back to being a chiropractor, I could continue to work and still receive my disability pension.

Would something like that be of value? It's assumed that it's there for our soldiers, and I'm hearing that it's not there for them. I would assume that would be an opportunity.

[Glen Kirkland]

I assume you mean that if they went back into a similar trade, they wouldn't be able to get....

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

I mean if they went back to do any other type of work, other than being in the military.

[Glen Kirkland]

But why not? Isn't the whole idea of getting hurt...? Isn't the benefit...? Aren't you supposed to be trying to get better? If you can still do that job, why not?

Here's a story. A guy had a bomb dropped on him in 2001 in the friendly fire incident. He was deemed 100% disabled, and he sucked it up. I shouldn't say sucked it up; he fought through his injuries. He rehabilitated, he kept his position, he has successfully kept his job in the military, and is now one of the highest ranking non-commissioned members. He also gets a 100% disability pension. I think that's the true success story. He got wounded, he was able to get better, and he's not getting financially assaulted because of his being able to get better.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

[Charles McCabe]

The military is obviously a paternalistic organization. When we joined, we expected to be looked after. What's happened now, of course, is that the Prime Minister has said that he cannot afford to look after us. That's where the cheese binds.

The military is obviously a paternalistic organization. When we joined, we expected to be looked after. What's happened now, of course, is that the Prime Minister has said that he cannot afford to look after us. That's where the cheese binds.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

If there is anything you'd like to add, send it to the clerk and we'll get it to the committee.

On behalf of all of the committee, I would like to thank you for your testimony, for serving our country, and for your continued support for the men and women who are currently serving and those who are veterans.

We have a motion to adjourn by Mr. Samson.

(Motion agreed to)

Thank you.