Evidence of meeting #86 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 indigenous.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
I'm talking also about a veteran. A veteran is a veteran.
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
Of course.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Phil McColeman
I'm going to have to cut it off there, gentlemen. We're a little bit over on that one.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Thank you both for coming. We appreciate your testimony.
Sergeant Lafontaine, thank you for your service as well.
One of the things I want to clarify from what you're talking about with your experience here is the issues that you're having in accessing service. You were mentioning what's happening in Quebec. Is this unique to Quebec? Are you finding that veterans like yourself are having a different experience in other provinces?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
I'd say they are more likely as Métis. Basically, I threw that away. I'm a Métis for everything else except for VAC, basically, and for what's on the reserves because the reserves here don't actually recognize the Métis at all. That's a governmental thing. It has been 300 years of problems, and I don't think we'll change that. For that side of the street, it's okay. We're doing good for the Métis and all that, but aboriginal-wise, we have a lot of work to do. I hear it all the time.
The guys go back to their community, and they're homeless in their own community, or they go homeless in Montreal. Basically, that's what it is. It's both ways.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
You're talking about the first nations veterans, that they are having a worse time, as you say, being homeless on the reserves and this sort of thing?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
Yes, because, basically, most of the chiefs of the reserves or the people who are there don't even know what's going on. They don't actually know what VAC is, or some of them are actually just ignorant about it. They probably don't even want to know about it. We really have to go.... I say that we have to ground and pound it. That's the problem.
Basically, I'm willing to do with you. Voluntarily, I'll ground and pound in there and get this thing going.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Sure. You mentioned, as well, that in most of your life you're identifying as Métis, but with VAC you're not. I also want to clarify on this: if someone is identified as aboriginal in any capacity, first nation or Métis, and they apply to a VAC service centre, are they receiving the same services if they present, or are they referred somewhere else if they're aboriginal?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
If they're aboriginal, most of the people, especially in the north, don't even come out because it's too far. To get to Service Canada, it's too far.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
I understand that, but do the small number of those who seek these services get the same treatment in the stream?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
Oh yes, of course.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
Good. I was hoping that was your answer.
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
When we bring them through the system, they become a normal person like everybody else—they become a vet. We're saying a vet is a vet, basically. It's just getting that vet in there. It's not being aboriginal or not, it's getting them out of the reserve. To do that, though, you have to go into that reserve to get these guys.
I actually asked some of the chiefs, “How many vets do you have on your reserve?” They don't know. I'm saying, well, okay, we have a problem already. Like I say, “Houston, we have a problem.” That's what I say, especially on the north part of it. Then if you go into Kahnawake, they have their little own world. It's hard in Quebec. Like I say, we are a distinct society in Quebec.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
You talked about your military record. When did you transition from the military to being a veteran? What year was that?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
It was October 22, 2003. I got out of the forces, but it took almost 12 years to get everything done. I did a bankruptcy, a divorce, everything you could imagine. I attempted suicide in 2009. It doesn't really matter, because that's the past and I'm positive. I got the help. It took that much, but I got the help. Those were the old days. I call it the old days.
Today there's a lot of new stuff and a lot of good stuff that has come out, but there's a lack of communication. Like I was telling you, I see all these nice little programs. For example, if you're homeless, then phone us, and so on. I say, “Come on. How can a homeless guy see this nice advertisement?” Basically, you have to have these ground and pound guys on the floor to get them out.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
I understand.
Have you seen improvements in this issue or in the system in your time, from 2003 to now? Is anything changing or improving that you can see?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
Yes, there's a 75% to 80% improvement.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB
What would you say is the biggest improvement you're seeing?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
It would be the physical, mental, and professional rehabilitation, but the problem we're having right now is we're helping the guys to become disabled instead of helping them to go back to work. Basically, right now, we need to say to the guy, “If you get a job for 10 hours a day, instead of cutting you 50% we'll give you another 50% on what you actually have right now.” That way, we're actually getting the guy to start working and having higher self-esteem.
I talked about it with my psychiatrist, and he told me the program we have now is saying to the guy, you don't have to work, because you have a lot of money coming in. That's the little part we should correct for the long term. That's for everybody.
Conservative
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to our guests for being here. It's much appreciated. Mr. Lafontaine, thank you for your service. We really appreciate it.
Wearing Canada on your shoulder, I'm sure, is something you're very proud of. I've listened to you talk about how people get lost in their own communities. I'm not exactly sure how to word this, but is there any sort of apprehension when you come back, about the fact you have represented Canada on the world stage and worn Canada on your shoulder? When you come back to your own community and there's some suspicion about Canada in general, how does that play out? I don't have any experience with that, other than the fact that I have 14 first nations in my riding, and when I go to visit them there is a suspicion about Canada in general.
As somebody who has worn the uniform, how does that come into this situation?
Public Relations Officer, Association des Vétérans Autochtones du Québec
When I wore the uniform, basically in the eighties and the nineties, I didn't even say that I was aboriginal, because you couldn't even go up in the ranks, and all that stuff. There was already something going on there. So, we're talking about 50, 60 years long.
When I came back out, it was lucky I had a French name, Lafontaine, more than anything else. Basically, the problem we're having right now is when they come back to the reserves. It's the bands that don't really recognize all this stuff. Some of them will say, “Oh yes, we're doing that November 11 thing”, and there's a lack...between the Canadian Forces and the bands, too, at the same time.
We've been doing a lot of stuff there in the last three of four years. We have the black bear camps. We're going to be starting a new one. I forget the name. Anyway, one of the names is Carcajou, which is going to be another course that they have, the Eagle Eye thing, and all that. Basically, we're doing a lot of good stuff.
However, especially here in Quebec, right now the problem we're having is these chiefs and bands let VAC come in and do their job to give these veterans the help they need. This is where that mentality has to change.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
That's the suspicion I'm talking about of the first nations bands for something that says “Canada” on it, essentially.