Veterans Affairs Committee on May 6th, 2022

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I'm sorry. I had unplugged my headphones for a moment, because that gave me clearer sound.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Right.

The floor is yours.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you, all, for being here. It's been a long session. I wish I could give you a little pause, but I won't be able to. The chair is hard on tasks today.

Thank you all for showing up today and giving the information, and providing key insight on the many questions that were put to you. It's been a very good session for sure, for all of us.

I'd like to talk about the transition services suite. We haven't talked about that a lot, and I hear about it often from military individuals who are looking toward retiring and becoming a veteran, or those who are released. It's a big issue.

I know that we've done a lot of work, Veterans Affairs as well as DND, in trying to facilitate the process, which is so crucial. I'm a believer that before they leave, veterans should have all the information that is required.

Could you speak about what we've done so far and where you see us going in order to improve that process?

[Steven Harris]

Thanks very much for the question. I think we have made a lot of progress.

We work very, very closely with the Canadian Armed Forces, and in particular with the transition group that's been established to help military members transition professionally and effectively out of the military, whether that's due to a retirement or related to medical issues and conditions.

What we've started to do in a much better way over the course of the last couple of years is to integrate those services and make sure that the information around Veterans Affairs—what priorities and accessibility Canadian Armed Forces members may have and what programs and services—is provided to them as early as possible. That's so that they can understand it, make applications, get decisions and actually make decisions around where they want to go.

Somebody transitioning out of the military may have concerns around a post-military employment career. We offer things like a career transition service, which will help military members who are transitioning to a post-military life build job skills, understand how their skills from the military may translate into the private sector, or even the public sector, and ensure that's in place. People can access that a year ahead of their release out of the Canadian Armed Forces, to understand what skills they might be able to get; what employment they might be most suited for; and to actually get job preparation skills, interview skills and other things, as military members don't often go through interview processes.

Veterans Affairs does transition interviews with Canadian Armed Forces members who are leaving the forces, to assess their needs, assess their state of readiness and well-being, and to assess what needs they might have. That might be issues with medical elements. They may need to continue physiotherapy that they started in the Canadian Armed Forces and transition that to their post-military life. We may need to help them on that front.

Some of them have more severe medical needs and are maybe being released medically by the military. We want to make sure that all of the benefits and services they might require are in place as well. That would include disability benefits, things like treatment, access to prescription drugs or other things as well, and in addition to that, rehabilitation. If they require some rehabilitation, whether that's from a job-skills point of view, from a physical point of view, we can put all of these things in place.

What we've started to do is intervene earlier and earlier in the system, with the support of our Canadian Armed Forces colleagues, to make sure that veterans have a full opportunity to plan for what their post-military life will be and what they want it to look like, and to know that the department can support them.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you for that very complete answer.

As a follow-up, in terms of My VAC Account, I'm hearing more and more about how positive it is for both those serving and those who are veterans now.

Are we able to indicate whether there is a big uptake or increase in active members? The sooner the active members provide and receive information, the better off we're going to be in the transition. Have we seen a bigger uptake from those who are still within the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Steven Harris]

It forms a part of the transition process as well. We'd love to have people on the My VAC Account as early as possible, while recognizing that if you're perhaps still 10 years out from releasing from the Canadian Armed Forces, maybe that's too soon. We're trying to find the sweet spot of having active members sign up as they get closer to a transition point of view so that they can get access to all of their benefits and services and—

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Have we seen an increase?

[Steven Harris]

We have seen an increase in the amount of both the people and the Canadian Armed Forces members who've—

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I have about 10 seconds left, but this is just a little advice I'm hearing from speaking to some universities. I made reference to that with the minister earlier in the meeting.

I would like to see some real and concrete strategies put in place where VAC...and maybe it's happening. I don't know. Maybe you could add to that at another time. What can we do, in conversations with the universities, to try to blend the information and have better outreach to veterans who could access that? The universities are excited, but they don't have all the info on how they could identify the veterans and make contact with them. So that's an idea.

Thanks.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You have 15 seconds, Mr. Harris, if you'd like to say something.

[Steven Harris]

We continue our outreach and work with universities and colleges with respect to the education and training benefit. We want to see them understand it well and promote it well amongst our veteran community. That would be great.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Harris.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have to conclude the meeting, because we have votes to hold.

On behalf of the committee members and myself, I would like to thank the witnesses for being with us today. I would particularly like to thank the representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Thank you to Mr. Steven Harris, assistant deputy minister, service delivery branch; Ms. Sara Lantz, acting assistant deputy minister, chief financial officer and corporate services branch; and Ms. Amy Meunier, assistant deputy minister, strategic policy and commemoration.

Thank you very much.

Before moving on to the votes, I am going to ask the witnesses to please disconnect.

[Steven Harris]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You're welcome, Mr. Harris.

Members of the committee, we are continuing the meeting.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the committee will now examine the Main Estimates for the year ending on March 31, 2023.

VETERANS AFFAIRS Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$1,248,089,396 Vote 5—Grants and contributions..........$4,220,894,997

(Votes 1 and 5 carried on division.)

VETERANS REVIEW AND APPEAL BOARD Vote 1—Program expenditures..........$9,906,136

(Vote 1 carried on division)

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Shall Votes 1 and 5 under Department of Veterans and Affairs and Vote 1 under Veterans Review and Appeal Board be reported to the House, less the amounts granted in Interim Supply?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, everyone.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Chair, I just want to wish all women, mothers and mothers-in-law a happy Mother's Day.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Yes.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Chair, I think the clerk was trying—

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

—to say something?

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

—to send us a message.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay, thank you.

Mr. Taquet, do you have something to say?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Cédric Taquet]

No, I have nothing to add. I was just trying to tell Ms. Roberts simply to give you the message.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Right.

Thank you, Ms. Roberts. We join you in wishing all mothers a happy Mother's Day on Sunday and thanking them for everything they do for us.

Thank you and have a good weekend, ladies and gentlemen.

The meeting is adjourned.