Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #18 for Veterans Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was affairs.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #18 for Veterans Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was affairs.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
As I have indicated, we're going to make sure that this issue is addressed properly.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Okay, you've answered my question. Thank you so much. Basically what I'm hearing is that you haven't met with him specifically on this issue.
Of course, we know that both the Minister of National Defence and the Prime Minister have said that they believe those bravely coming forward in regard to their testimonies about what they've experienced. I believe you said the same today. However, the proof will be in the pudding when it comes down to them having to go through the hoops to prove what they have gone through. I certainly hope that belief is extended extensively so they don't become other victims of the current backlog in all that they're experiencing.
With regard to that backlog, you indicated that the workforce has been built up over the last four years to 900 new positions, but over the course of the next two years, 750 of those positions will no longer be there. That's a remainder of 150 full-time positions, not even the 400 that the Conservative government had ready to go with the financing when you formed government.
At the rate you're describing dealing with the backlog, it will take a minimum of two more years to deal with that backlog, and that won't deal with those pileups of pending applications that you aren't including in the current backlog numbers.
Why are you not responding to the Parliamentary Budget Officer's recommendation that these positions remain in place for the coming years? This issue is going to compound itself again when you remove all of those positions within the public service over the next two years.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I can assure you that when somebody comes forward to the Department of Veterans Affairs with a sexual trauma issue, they're taken at their word.
I don't think you want to discuss what it was like before 2014-15, when you fired 1,000 people—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
No, no, give me a minute now to answer. You asked a question; I'll give an answer.
The fact of the matter is that what the Conservative Party of Canada did was to fire 1,000 employees, cut the money to Veterans Affairs, hurt veterans and hurt Veterans Affairs Canada.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
The changes we have made are putting about two and a half billion dollars more at the end of this year into the pockets of veterans.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
That is why we want to and will take care of veterans. That's what is fair—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
I appreciate what you've just said. Thank you so much.
We were dealing in the midst of a significant recession. You have created one, so here we are.
You indicate between two billion and three billion dollars' worth of new spending, yet you continually say, even in the House of Commons, that you've invested $10 billion more. Where is that money and how has it been spent?
I do not see the removal of these particular.... If you're doing a better job than we did, why are you removing 750 positions over the next two years when we are still in a backlog situation for those two years? Can you answer that, please?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I think it's awfully important to realize that compared to 2014-15 and today there's over $2 billion more going into the pockets of veterans. What you, your department and your government did before 2014-15, you fired them. You took money out of the pockets of veterans. You hurt veterans and the department—
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
—and we had to start at the bottom to put the thing back together.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
You're removing 750 positions. What do you call that?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
[Inaudible—Editor] become very efficient.
Mr. Chair, I'd like to answer it. The fact of the matter is—
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Yes. What we strived to do here and are doing is making sure that we run an efficient department, making sure we take care of our veterans and making sure they receive the proper remuneration that they should. We have done that and will continue to do that.
I thank you.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Minister, first of all, let me thank you for recognizing the work of the dedicated public servants who have increased the level of efficiency in such difficult circumstances and who are doing yeoman's service to address the backlog.
Minister, I want to give you a fair chance to answer, without being interrupted, on the topic that Ms. Wagantall raised. In your opening remarks, you talked about the fact that this year's estimates are a billion dollars higher than last year's, but they're $2 billion higher than 2014-15. I found it interesting that you chose that year because, as you know, the former ministers of veterans affairs in 2014-15 were Julian Fantino and Erin O'Toole.
Here we are, looking at estimates that are $2 billion higher than what they were then. You and I both remember well the situation within the Department of Veterans Affairs: the deep cuts that preceded that, the fact that the cuts outside of the national capital region were significantly higher or significantly deeper and, of course, the closing of the district offices and the like.
While in your opening remarks you did talk about where the $1 billion in additional funding is coming from for next year, I wonder if you could talk about the $2 billion from the days of ministers Fantino and O'Toole up to now, where that is coming from and the difference that's making in the lives of veterans.
Thank you.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Well, I thank you, Mr. Casey. The fact of the matter is that nearly $2 billion of that is going into the pockets of veterans. That's so important, and that's what we're here for—to make sure.
With that, we also established many other things. There's the veteran and family well-being fund. I think most people are aware of what that does for the groups that work so hard to support veterans and veterans organizations right across the country. They speak on behalf of veterans. They tell me, the government and the department what the needs of veterans are. It's so important that we keep these people in place.
We've established a centre of excellence for PTSD. We reopened nine of the offices that the Conservative Party closed. We've hired over 1,000 employees and we will continue to hire. We established an education fund, which is so vitally important for veterans when they come out of the military. The Canadian military has basically every walk of life.... The economy and the business community in this nation need those people. We put a training program in place so that they can become much more efficient. It's good for themselves, good for the veterans, good for the country and good for our economy. Also, as you know, we invested just under $200 million to deal with the backlog, and that's why it's down from 23,000 to 15,000.
The fact is, it's our job—and your job—to make sure that we put more money into the pockets of veterans who need it. Do we need to do more? Yes. Is there more to do? Yes. We will continue to do that.
