That's fine.
Evidence of meeting #106 for Veterans Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was policy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #106 for Veterans Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was policy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
It was only within the last year and a half or so.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Okay. You've reached out to them in the last year and a half, two or three times, and had no results.
October 3rd, 2024 / 12:05 p.m.
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
I've received nothing. I don't even get a return email.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Thank you.
You indicated that in your efforts, there appears to be no clarity or any existence of policies on designation within the Department of National Defence. Is that correct?
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
In 1988, the prime minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, created the Volunteer Service Medals for the Korean War. In 1992, he presented them. That's a while back. Now we're being told today that the Veterans Affairs minister is waiting for this committee to make a recommendation before she makes a decision.
When you were serving, you were told you were on active duty in that situation. Who told you this?
Vice-President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
For me, it came from our ship's commander at the time, the late Captain Becker.
Vice-President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
I'm sorry. I don't think either one of us is an expert.
When I'm told I'm going overseas, an operation name is created by National Defence. Your status on that mission is identified, as well as your rules of engagement and what kind of pre-deployment training you require. You go off, get on a ship or boat, go somewhere, do your business and come home.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
You were told on the ship. Was this the first time, though, that you were told, Harold, that you were on active duty?
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
Yes. According to the ship's commander, we had to be put on active duty before we could sail into the Suez Canal.
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
I can't answer that question, because—
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Isn't that disconcerting, though? Obviously, it must have come from DND.
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
It came from DND, but you have to remember that I'm a lower-deck guy. I don't question the captain or my officers—
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
—when they give us an order. If they come down and say, “This is the way it is”, as far as I know, it comes from higher up, which goes to DND.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
That's basically the point I'm trying to make here, not at all the other.... Obviously, the decision had to come from the Department of National Defence for the direction your service was going in. This issue is stymied within the Department of National Defence.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Clearly, when the prime minister of Canada presented medals in 1992 to the Korean War vets, he was able to make that happen.
President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
I'm assuming so. It's beyond my pay grade.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
My point is that it happened.
In the present situation, I think that what should be happening could be happening right now, regardless of the past.
I want to make a comment. This idea that we need to wait for the Veterans Affairs minister to deal with this is a stalling tactic, because she can't make the difference. She is the associate minister of National Defence. I've tried to determine exactly how that role works for her, and I'm not clear on how it does. The bottom line here is that we, as a committee, need to make some recommendations that go beyond Veterans Affairs and directly to the Department of National Defence.
Do you have a comment?
Vice-President, Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada
In my discussions with her, Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor told me she has the ear of the minister, obviously, as the associate. The minister is her boss.
We strongly believe that it's not within the purview or under the authority of the Minister of Veterans Affairs to change our classification status. That should be done at National Defence, referencing a policy we can't find. If there's no policy that exists, you don't have to be held accountable. You can't nail anything to the wall.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
I would say that they need to be held accountable for not appearing to have a policy. I would certainly say that we, as members of Parliament, have had less and less opportunity over those years to even hear about what National Defence is suggesting or where they're going and whatnot. They have a responsibility to make sure those policies are definitely visible to us, and certainly visible to those that they are impacting.
Do I have more time?