Veterans Affairs Committee on Dec. 2nd, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 119 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(5) and the motion adopted by the committee on November 28, 2024, the committee is resuming its study of the Supplementary Estimates (B), 2024‑25.

Today's meeting is being held in hybrid form, in accordance with the Standing Orders. As a reminder, all comments should be directed to the chair.

As usual, I would like to welcome the veterans who are here in the room as well as those who are listening to us remotely.

We also had the pleasure last week of receiving a Ukrainian delegation. We had an excellent meeting. I would like to inform committee members that I agreed, on behalf of the committee, to accept a plaque, which you can come and see here.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Do you have to declare that? It's over $50.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

It has to be evaluated first.

Before beginning, we have to adopt the budget. I think it is correct to do that before going any further with this meeting.

You have received a copy of the budget. The amount requested is $1,250.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the budget?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

On division.

[Le président, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Noted, Mr. Richards.

The budget is therefore adopted on division.

For the first hour, we have with us the Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. With her are representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs. First we have Steven Harris, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery Branch. Second is Mitch Freeman, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance Branch. With us too, by videoconference, is Jonathan Adams, Director General, Finance.

I know that when the minister and representatives of the department appear, committee members have a lot of questions to ask. I would therefore request that members ask clear, precise questions and witnesses give equally precise answers. That will make things easier for us and the interpreters, as well as maintaining decorum.

With that, I invite the minister to give her opening remarks.

Ms. Petitpas Taylor, the floor is yours for the next five minutes.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for the invitation to appear before the committee to discuss supplementary estimates (B) for Veterans Affairs Canada. This process is an essential part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability and to ensuring that the needs of veterans and their families remain at the forefront of our priorities.

Canada's veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our values, our freedom and our way of life. It is our duty to support them in return with concrete actions and resources that reflect our gratitude for their sacrifices. The investments we are making through the supplementary estimates (B) are critical to delivering care, benefits, services and recognition that veterans and their families deserve after service to Canada.

As you know, over 90% of Veterans Affairs Canada's budget is dedicated to payments to veterans for the support and services hard-earned by the men and women who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and their family members who supported them at home.

The $954 million increase provided for in the supplementary estimates includes $942 million for programs and services that guarantee every eligible veteran access to benefits, regardless of the number of requests.

This funding is proof of our government's commitment to offering the support our veterans need, whether for mental health, rehabilitation, financial aid or other essential services to improve their quality of life.

Such investments demonstrate this government’s dedication to honouring the sacrifices made by veterans and ensuring their needs are met.

You will see that the estimates also include $4 million in funding to commemorate significant Canadian military milestones, including the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the beginning of the Battle of Normandy.

One of our most profound responsibilities is to always remember the sacrifices that millions of Canadians made during the world wars to defend global peace and freedom. Our domestic and international events last June paid solemn tribute to the veterans of these conflicts and to the hundreds of thousands of our fallen who gave their lives while serving our country.

At the same time, we must recognize the efforts that the growing number of modern-day veterans have made to safeguard peace and security in the world. Whether that’s through programs that meet their needs or commemorative events that honour their service, we’re taking more steps to be there for veterans.

Last month, we supported a delegation of Canadian veterans and their families to revisit Cyprus to mark the 60th anniversary of Canadian peacekeeping there. It was a journey that held deep personal significance for those who served in Operation Snowgoose. They were able to connect with fellow veterans who served there over the years and share stories of their service with them.

Veterans Affairs Canada will use $2.75 million of the supplementary estimates to continue its commemoration campaigns, for Canadians to honour the men and women who have served, and its services campaigns, to inform veterans about the supports available.

The supplementary estimates also provide for an additional $2 million for the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund. That money is in addition to the Fund's present $3 million budget.

This funding assists organizations and initiatives that support veterans’ health and employment, as well as women, indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ veterans.

Allocating funds towards programs and services that address the needs of equity-deserving veterans allows us to promote equality, dignity and empowerment. It allows us to recognize their diverse experiences and challenges and preserve these chapters in Canada's military history.

I also want to thank the members of the committee for the work they do in studying the experience of indigenous and black veterans. I am very interested in the committee's findings, which I eagerly await.

In total, the Supplementary Estimates (B), 2024‑25, add $954 million to Veterans Affairs Canada's budget. This additional funding represents a necessary investment in the health and well-being of veterans and their families.

It will now be my pleasure to answer questions from members of the committee.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Minister.

Now, by video conference, I'd like to invite the vice-chair of the committee, Mr. Richards, to question the minister.

You have six minutes. Please go ahead.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Minister, you're now the Minister of Employment, the Minister of Workforce Development, the Minister of Official Languages, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, and the Associate Minister of National Defence. Can you tell us which of these files will be your priority?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Thank you so much, Mr. Richards.

I have to say congratulations. I hear that you're a new father, so congratulations on that.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Thank you.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Thank you so much, Mr. Richards, for that question.

A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister put his trust in me and asked me to take on these additional responsibilities for a short-term period, and I am pleased to do so.

I have to say that I'm hard-working and I'm not scared of hard work, and I will continue to meet all of my commitments as Minister of Veterans Affairs and also assume the additional responsibilities that have been asked of me.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

I think veterans are just a little bit concerned. They have already seen struggles with your department in terms of getting the quality and timeliness of services that they think they deserve, and that they do deserve. Now they see you as a part-time Minister of Veterans Affairs, and there's no other way we can put that. You have several files. You cannot be full time on any one file, so you're a part-time Minister of Veterans Affairs.

How do you think it makes veterans feel to know that they have a part-time minister?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Well, I certainly disagree with the premise of your question, Mr. Richards. I think that people who know me know that I'm hard-working and that I'm not scared of working long hours. I will continue to meet all of my responsibilities and requirements as Minister of Veterans Affairs.

To be frank, the day that I was sworn in, that same evening, I was at The Pepper Pod, as I had committed to doing an event there. All of my events that I have committed to have been fulfilled, and they will continue to be fulfilled.

For veterans who are listening out there, I am a full-time minister. I'm committed to serving them, and I will be continuing to do so.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Well, are you telling us that you believe that the Minister of Employment, the Minister of Workforce Development and the Minister of Official Languages aren't also full-time jobs? I mean, how many full-time jobs can one have? You simply cannot devote full-time attention to any one of these files unless you're not going to do any of them justice.

Minister, I struggle to understand how you can say that you're anything other than a part-time minister at this point. I guess what I'd like to ask you is whether the Prime Minister consulted with you on this decision before giving you a second and third role within cabinet?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Well, I certainly don't know how it works in your party, Mr. Richards, but our Prime Minister consults with his caucus and his cabinet all the time. He approached me to take on these responsibilities because he felt that I had the skill sets and was able to do it, and he has trust in me.

Again, this is a short-time appointment for a period of time. I have taken on the responsibilities, and all departments are very important. The veterans who know me know me well and know that I will continue to serve them full time and that I will be making sure that all of my engagements are met.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

What you're telling us, then, is that both you and the Prime Minister felt that veterans weren't important enough to warrant more than a part-time minister. Is that what we're hearing here? Don't you think veterans deserve more than a part-time minister?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

I think you're putting words in my mouth, Mr. Richards. Veterans who know me know me well and know that I'm a hard-working Minister of Veterans Affairs, and I am absolutely committed to making sure that the job is done.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Well, we'll be watching, because I think there are a lot of veterans out there who are concerned. I don't doubt your intentions and your willingness to work hard, but one cannot have as many files as you have and give them all full-time attention. I certainly hope that veterans will see that they do get some better attention than they deserve under a part-time minister.

Let me turn instead now to this issue I want to raise with you about 82-year-old veteran Jim DeMarce. He's the president of the Penticton Legion. He was violently attacked by a number of thugs on his way home from the Legion one night. He expressed, because of the lack of a proper criminal justice system under your government and of proper punishment for criminals, that he was even reluctant to report the crime because he felt like the offenders would just get off scot-free.

Of the veterans that you are there to represent, one of them was violently attacked as a result of the weak criminal justice policies of your government. Would you now, after knowing that, finally support the commonsensical proposal of Pierre Poilievre to ensure that it's jail and not bail for repeat violent offenders?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Excuse me, Mr. Richards, I have a point of order, so I'll stop the time.

Go ahead, Mr. May.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

We asked the minister to appear today on estimates. I have yet to hear a single question from the member opposite that's even remotely relevant to what we're talking about today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you.

Go ahead, Mr. Richards.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Oh, on that point, Chair.... Could I just add to that point? I mean, first of all, the questions around the minister's part-time nature of her role are relevant to all of the expenses, of course, within the department, so I believe these questions are relevant. Frankly, I think it's really unfortunate that a Liberal member would try to step in to try to cover for the minister. Let her answer the question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Richards, in but the second part, you were talking about justice and things like that. As you know, we are discussing the budget, the supplementary estimates (B), so try to focus on that, please. Thank you.