Veterans Affairs Committee on March 10th, 2020

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

That's an extensive amount of time. I'm really trying to understand. I understand there are problems with paperwork and all of those issues, but we really need to get on top of this. I understand what you're saying. I ran an organization for a lot of years, and when money goes away from administration, that can be a problematic thing because it means the services are not being delivered to the same extent. When it's going into programs, how is that going to fix the backlog?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I'll let the deputy elaborate on this, but the fact is that this program has been very effective. You're referring to money that's transferred to the transition, both of which are vitally important. There are issues with the backlog that we need to address, but money is always acceptable. We can always take more money. There are areas we have to adjust and deal with, and these programs were very valuable. I'll let the deputy explain why, but it's so important to know that in the case of a really acceptable program that was used up very quickly, we just felt another $1.8 million—

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

My concern is that if people are waiting then they're not getting access to many of those programs, so I'm excited to hear what you have to say.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I think the deputy would refer to homelessness. There are so many areas you can go, like the tiny houses. There are programs that were able to help out in order to bring in more veterans who were perhaps receiving nothing, who had left the system and society altogether. What we're trying to do is fulfill our obligations all the way around to make sure these people have a chance.

I'll let my deputy explain further.

[Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk]

The solution to addressing the backlog is multi-faceted. One area is hiring additional folks, and I'll ask Rick Christopher in a moment to talk about the fact that we're hiring. We've hired hundreds already, and we're continuing to try to hire across the country.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

When you're hiring them, are they staying on permanently, or is this something that you're doing specifically to get caught up on the backlog?

[Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk]

I'll ask Rick to address that.

[Rick Christopher]

It's a combination of both things. Compared with 2015, when we had about 200 people working on the disability program—that's what we're talking about in terms of that particular volume in that program—we now have over 400 working on that. Some of them are temporary. Some of them are permanent. It's a very complicated process to do medical—

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I hear what he's saying. I'm sorry. I'm interrupting, but I have one more minute, not even that.

You say it's multi-faceted, so have all of the places where it's not working been identified? What are the multi-faceted solutions that you're moving toward to get this addressed?

[Gen (Ret'd) Walter Natynczyk]

Can I say that for us to put in additional funding into the well-being fund and the emergency fund is not affecting our solution set for addressing the backlog? We're moving forward on digitization. We're moving forward on integrated teams to make decision-making easier. We're also moving forward on addressing the whole process of the application. Again, we're encouraging folks to use My VAC Account to get more complete.... In addition to that, we're hiring and replacing attrition.

That's why I say it's a multi-faceted approach. Not one solution will fit all. Actually, we need to holistically improve the experience for veterans and ensure that the information we get will allow a very expeditious decision.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I would just like to add—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Be very quick.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

—that the emergency fund is so valuable for people who have absolutely nothing, down and out, really needing to get a hand up. That is really so vitally important.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you.

MP Wagantall, please, you have five minutes.

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

Thank you, Chair.

Minister, I'm just going to read a portion of your mandate letter. I'm sure you're aware of it. It says that your mandate is to:

Improve transparency and communications so that Veterans and their families have clarity about and predictability of available benefits and services.

Minister, in December on the floor of the House of Commons I asked you a specific question on behalf of a veteran whose spouse had come home from her mental health appointment having been told by the doctor that in the new year those benefits would no longer be available to her. Your response to me was that there's been no change to policy and that they would continue to get benefits if it helped the veteran. Believe me; veterans are helped by their family members getting the care they need because they see their lives falling apart because of their health issues.

What concerns me, sir, is that you indicated there was no change of policy, but the veterans ombudsman went on to reveal that new restrictions were imposed not through a change in policy but more subtly through a reinterpretation of the existing rules of that bureaucracy.

Sir, I find this very disturbing, as do veterans. You know that there are more and more coming forward and concerned because of the semantics that were used to deal with this issue.

I would like to know who flagged this policy for review.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Number one, I thank you very much, and I—

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

I would just like to know who flagged it for review.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I would like to appreciate your question, if I could.

The fact is that it was brought to my attention. I have a department, thousands of people who work in the department—

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

What was brought to your attention?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Pardon...?

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

What was brought to your attention?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

It was that this policy was not applied consistently across the department, and that was not the way it was supposed to be applied.

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

Excuse me, sir, so when was—

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Would you please...? If you ask a question, it's—

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

No, I got my answer. Thank you.

When was the minister made aware of the results of the policy review and the decision to tighten the policy and start cutting veterans family members off of their benefits and services?