Evidence of meeting #4 for Veterans Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was veteran.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Thank you, number one, for the questions. It's so important to make Canadians aware of what in fact is available out there. The fact is that we have a job in the department to get the information out that programs like the education program are available.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Let's pick up where we left off.
Next up is Mr. Desilets for two and a half minutes.
It's all yours, sir.
Bloc
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
All right. I am really ready.
I heard from the minister and from the department that there has been no change to mental health services for families, but I heard from the minister that there was an understanding that they were not being applied consistently across Canada. We know that numerous veterans' families are coming forward saying that they are losing their supports and are expressing that concern. I imagine it's not an easy thing for them to talk about their own mental health supports. I want to acknowledge their bravery in coming forward.
The department says that it was not being applied consistently, so it seems now that the department is moving towards a pattern of less service. I'm just wondering, in deciding what consistency across the country means, which side you're going towards.
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
We're going to the side of compassion and flexibility. Across the country, we're relying on the relationship we have with the mental health providers. It is difficult to find consistency when we're dealing with all of these providers coast to coast to coast. The conditions are really that the providers, whether it be a psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health nurse or counsellor, are working with the veteran and his or her family.
Again, from a compassionate side, we do not cut off any treatment. What happens, however, in some of these cases—I've visited a number of these facilities, including the operational stress injury clinics—is that a period of treatment comes to a conclusion such that objectives are achieved. Having gone to the Royal Ottawa here in town, a course of treatment might be a year and a half.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
I only have two minutes—much less than that now.
Since you are saying that the department is moving forward but it wants to stay on the compassionate side, what are you advising these families across Canada who are coming forward and being very clear that their services are being cancelled? They're not saying that they are done now and so it's closing.
What strategy is the department using to connect with those families to help figure out how it can be delivered consistently across Canada?
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
Again, the policy remains extant, as it was established in 2010. From the compassion side, we're saying that where the policy says “short term”, we'll interpret that to be a year to two years, as opposed to something that's short of a year.
If someone is on a mental health counselling treatment program, we will ensure that this program is completed and the objectives are complete. Similarly, with regard to our 24-7 assistance capability, for every time a family member asks for support—whether it be addiction treatment, indebtedness or marital discord—there are 20 counselling sessions for every one of those.
Again, we are trying to approach every one of these from a compassionate and flexible standpoint, noting that consistency is difficult when you're dealing with 4,000 practitioners across the country and 11 operational stress injury clinics that are provided by the provinces. We're trying to have as much consistency as we can within the myriad networks of support.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you.
I'm sorry. Two and a half minutes go by really quickly.
Monsieur Desilets, you have two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
According to a study by Quebec's department of health and social services, there are three times more homeless people in the segment of the population with a military background than there are in the civilian population. I'm not sure whether the figures are similar elsewhere in Canada. Regardless, can you tell us how you plan to address the situation?
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
Thank you for your question.
The situation of homeless veterans is of the utmost concern to us. They often end up homeless as a result of a mental illness or injury. Providing assistance to all of those veterans is imperative.
As the minister said before, we are providing our employees with a great deal of flexibility by using the veterans emergency fund. If a veteran presents, we're able to find this person and give them a roof over their head and groceries while we figure out who they are. As soon as we understand who they are and whether they have a mental health injury, we're able to come in with a whole bunch of additional programs.
In addition to that, for the well-being fund that the minister was speaking about, over the past couple of years we have now put out 43 projects. Twelve of those projects were focused on homelessness. For example, the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal is an area where we have put resources in to assist those veterans in the city. We know that a large number of those veterans who are homeless were released with a mental health injury.
The minister was in Victoria last week and heard that 60% of the veterans who were at Cockrell House in Victoria were released for mental health injuries.
I'll ask Rick Christopher to add here.
Director General, Centralized Operations, Department of Veterans Affairs
As well, all of our area offices have a case manager who is responsible for addressing the issues of homeless veterans. They have a whole network in the community to provide support through community groups, and to reach out to homeless individuals and offer them assistance. We also make money available through the veterans emergency fund.
Liberal
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Thank you.
For the deputy minister, we clarified at the last meeting that the number one priority for the department is the backlog. Is this correct?
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
If I've understood the points brought up earlier, of the supplementary estimates, none of the money transferred is going to address the backlog. Is this correct?
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
That's correct, but I'll provide some context as to how we were able to source those funds.
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Yes, but you're saying—and you made the statement earlier—it's not having an impact on addressing the backlog. None of that money is going toward the backlog.
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Then the question is this. With the selection and maintenance, the aim is that the backlog is the number one issue. How long before you will be at that 80%-plus standard you want to achieve to have every case dealt with in the 16-week standard? How long before you're going to basically eliminate 30,000-plus of these files out of the 40,000 in the backlog? What date should we be at that standard?
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
It would be difficult to discern that because the one thing we cannot control is applications coming in the front door. If indeed applications carry on at a 90% increase, and if we template that forward.... Again, I'm working with the central agencies to template that out into the future, to say that if you want me to figure this out and if the trend carries on, then I need to have additional resources in the following areas.
With regard to being able to transfer funds to really important requirements like the emergency fund, which again is a life-saving fund and we know that, and the well-being fund, which supports things like homelessness, we know that we are able to hire but hiring an employee takes months. Each year I am able to carry forward from my operating budget—not the big quasi-stat budget, but from the operating budget—only 5%, which for this current year is about $16 million.
I know, because I've tried to hire everyone and in some parts of the country I can't hire enough. I'll give you an example of Alberta. It is still tough hiring social workers in Alberta, as it is in other parts of the country, so I know that I can't hire fast enough and some of this money will go unspent. What I don't want to do is to leave it on the table, so I take some of this money and put it into saving veterans' lives through these emergency funds.
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
General, that's great and I can totally understand the strategy there. I'm just trying, again, to learn what we are doing to address the backlog specifically and whether that's from a funding resources perspective, because ultimately that's what our study is here, understanding the supplementary estimates.
I have another quick question.
You talked about the tiny homes earlier and some of the money. Which fund does that come from exactly?
Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk
We're not actually building or doing construction. Again, our colleagues in Employment and Social Development Canada, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, are supporting various initiatives like the multifaith housing initiative.
The Homes for Heroes in Calgary, as the minister indicated, was really support from the local community, but the well-being fund provided an addiction counsellor, a former military police sergeant who went on to do a social worker course, and here he is as an addiction counsellor. Our folks working with The Mustard Seed are now providing that addiction and on-site counselling.
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Super, so it's out of that.
If I'm understanding the well-being fund, money can be allocated out of that for similar-type projects across the country.