Veterans Affairs Committee on Nov. 12th, 2020

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

It is working.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Excuse me. It's through the chair, please, Mr. Brassard.

Let's not let this get out of control. Please direct any questions through the chair.

The time is up, but I'll allow the minister to finish answering the question.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Chair, I would like to answer the question.

Number one, yes, the backlog is under 20,000 and it's unacceptable. We put a system in place to address this. We coordinated the staff. We hired 350 extra employees, along with 180 employees who were in the department, to make sure they are well trained to deal with the backlog. Now with the digitizing and the coordinating of staff, we are having an effect. When we put the other 500 people in place, we will start addressing the backlog much quicker.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you—

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Of course, we have no control over what comes into the department. We have to deal with everything that comes in and that's what we will continue to do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you, Minister.

We'll move on to MP Lalonde, please, for six minutes.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Chair, if I have enough time, I would love to share my time with my colleague Sean Casey.

Good morning, Minister. It's a pleasure to see you once again.

As we know—and you made some comments about this—Veterans' Week just wrapped up across the country, cumulating yesterday with a different type of Remembrance Day ceremony across the country. I certainly appreciate the importance of that date to honour our veterans.

I represent Orléans, a community that has one of the largest concentrations of active and retired members in the country. I am also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Orléans Branch 632, so I'll give my plug for my Legion here in my community. We have over 865 active members. Certainly this ceremony was very different, Minister. Usually we have the second-largest gathering in the country, after the national celebration in Ottawa, so this was very different.

I would like to ask you to talk to us about the importance of Veterans' Week and the poppy campaign. Second, could you please provide some detail on how the pandemic impacted this year's celebrations?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Thank you very much. I appreciate your question.

Of course, Veterans' Week is vitally important. It provides an opportunity to remember and honour those who have done so much for us, but as we always say, we should do it more than on Veterans' Week. What we should do when we see veterans on the street or anywhere we meet them—maybe in the mall—is to just say, “Thank you”. It puts a smile on their face. You have to realize what that man or woman went through to become a veteran—in fact, what they did for us.

This year across the country it was a different commemoration. It was sad, I would say, in ways, because the people were not there who really wanted to be there, but again, health is what comes first and the veterans always tell me they fully understand that.

Veterans do everything we ask them to do, right from defending our freedom and fighting in wars to walking into long-term care centres in order to help us. We owe them everything and I thank them so much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

MP Casey, I believe you're up next.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Minister, you were interrupted a couple of times when you were trying to explain the situation with respect to the backlog. I want to give you a chance to answer some of those questions without interruption. One of the allegations that was made by Mr. Brassard was that the backlog is increasing. You indicated that the backlog right now is at 20,000. Is that an increase or a decrease from where it was?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Than you very much, Sean.

That is a decrease. Of course, you have to understand that the number of first-time applications have increased by over 90%, which of course we must deal with. We digitized the files and we coordinated the staff. That has had an effect, but we also have 350 new employees in training. Right after Christmas these people will come online and start dealing with the backlog. We have affected the backlog at this point, but we intend to affect it much more down the road because we're going to have extra staff who are dedicated to the task. We're going to have the files digitized. We're going to have them coordinated in one place. We won't have to send files to one place and then another and then wait to get them back. We want to make sure it's done as quickly as possible.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Thank you, Minister.

There was another allegation in one of the questions that the wait times are now up to two years. Can you give us some sense of what the average wait times are and what the percentage of files might be that are in the two-year range for waiting? I just want to fact-check how realistic that assertion is.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Of course, the backlog was higher than it is today and it is down some. Of course, we intend to do a lot more to make sure that the backlog is diminished a lot more. We have to make sure that we have the process in place because this is an ongoing process.

If you want to know how that situation is right now, I will let the deputy address that specific question.

[General, Retired) Walter Natynczyk (Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs]

Thanks very much, Minister, and thanks, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to comment.

As the minister indicated, we have expedited the process across the board. Any file that is waiting for a prolonged period—years, as you mentioned—that's where we've often lacked information and have gone back and forth to the veteran to try to get additional information. We're trying to clear all of those long-standing files out as soon as possible.

My last data point in terms of an average is that it was in the order of 28 to 30 weeks. I'll try to get a more up-to-date average to you. We met with the Royal Canadian Legion recently. They ensured that we're aware that there are some long-standing files that we're trying to clear, which the minister has indicated have waited way too long. At the same time, there are other files that are very clear with all of the information and all of the diagnosis, which we are turning out well below the 16-week standard.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you very much.

Now for six minutes Mr. Desilets.

You have the floor, sir.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Good morning, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, esteemed committee members.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new veterans ombudsman, Ms. Jardine, who will be taking office soon. I wish her well in her new role.

Minister, it's a pleasure to see you.

Obviously, my first question pertains to French. As you know, Quebeckers love their language and never back down. We feel as though the language has been disrespected in recent weeks. You clearly know what I am referring to. I would like you to address the departmental post that appeared on various social media sites, a post that was very disrespectful to the French language. It was embarrassing.

Then, I would like you to comment on the backlog of claims submitted by francophone veterans. They have to wait 45 weeks before their claim is decided. That's roughly twice as long as their anglophone counterparts, who receive a decision in 24 weeks. What I am most interested in are the changes you have made in recent months to reduce the excessive amount of time it takes to process francophone claims, unlike anglophone claims.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Thank you very much, Luc.

First of all, thank you for congratulating our new ombudsperson.

On the tweet that the department put out, I certainly apologize. It should not have happened. We've directed them to make sure this does not happen again. We will evaluate and make sure it does not happen again.

Also, Luc, we recognize that more needs to be done to ensure that francophone veterans and women veterans receive a timely decision on their applications. That's why we established a dedicated francophone unit to improve processing. We're hiring more francophones and bilingual staff to further reduce wait times for francophone veterans.

With the just under $200-million investment, we will address the backlog and reduce wait times for veterans. That is what I've committed to do, and, Luc, as you know, that's what I indicated when I became Minister of Veterans Affairs, to make sure this was my top priority and the department's top priority.

I thank you, Luc.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

On that subject, Minister, I would like some sense of a time frame. Being a former manager, I think that information is important.

We all know that you want to reduce the backlog—something we all want. I realize you want processing times to be the same for both francophone and anglophone claims. That said, how long will it be before things are back to normal? Three months? Six months? A year?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

As I've said, by 2022 we will have addressed the backlog.

What we have to do is what I've indicated previously, to make sure we digitize the files and coordinate the staff. Luc, with that alone, we have started to reduce the backlog. When those new employees come online, it's going to make a big difference. We're going to have about 500 new employees ready to start dealing with the backlog. It's essential, and we're going to do that. As you know, it's my top priority, and I will certainly address it.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

How much time do I have left, Mr. Chair?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

What I've said previously is that we will have addressed the backlog by 2022. We have already started addressing the backlog. Today the backlog is under 20,000 applications. That's unacceptable, but there's a move downward. What we have to do is to make sure that figure continues to move downward.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I heard you loud and clear, Minister. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I asked you how much time I had left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

I'm just checking on that. Give me one moment, please.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Continue. I'll let you know when you have one minute left.