Precisely.
Evidence of meeting #14 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 pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #14 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 pension.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:05 p.m.
Director General, Labour Market, Education and Socioeconomic Well-Being, Statistics Canada
The answer is yes. We include all sources of income and family size.
3:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Desilets.
We'll end with Ms. Rachel Blaney, for two and a half minutes.
Go ahead Ms. Blaney.
3:05 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you so much, Chair.
Thank you, again, to the witnesses. I have found you very helpful. I am really glad that you came, and I understand why you were not sure if you should come.
When was this data provided to VAC? To what department or to whom in VAC was it delivered?
3:05 p.m.
Director General, Labour Market, Education and Socioeconomic Well-Being, Statistics Canada
Mr. Chair, I'll ask my colleague Mr. Heisz to answer that question because he's really the person who has the information about the letter of agreement.
3:05 p.m.
Director, Centre for Income and Socioeconomic Well-being Statistics, Statistics Canada
I have the letter of agreement here beside me.
For Veterans Affairs Canada, the signatory was Crystal Garrett-Baird. We have our deliverable date, which was toward the end of the fiscal year 2020-21. I'd have to look into the exact date that it was delivered, but it would be before the end of March 2021.
3:05 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you. I know we're getting a copy of that letter. I wasn't sure if it was on there or not.
I guess my last question is just around who can access the information. What I mean by that is that we've had a lot of questions come up from the different members here today. Can MPs or committees approach Stats Canada and say, “Could you get this information for us?”, or is it really just ministers and departments that can ask for that sort of task?
3:05 p.m.
Director General, Labour Market, Education and Socioeconomic Well-Being, Statistics Canada
Mr. Chair, I'd just like to clarify the question with Ms. Blaney, if that's possible.
When you say the stats do you mean in general?
3:05 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Yes, I mean in general. Just after I heard all of the ideas of how we can compare, for example, to 2008, I'm just wondering if committees or MPs have the capacity to say, “Actually, that would be great. Can you do that for us?” Does it have to come from a minister or a department?
3:05 p.m.
Director General, Labour Market, Education and Socioeconomic Well-Being, Statistics Canada
Mr. Chair, I can answer the question. Statistics Canada gets lots of requests for data for insight. We do also get requests from members of Parliament. This happens via the Library of Parliament, usually, and our parliamentary affairs.... Then it is directed to the subject matter specialists in that domain. In general, we do get lots of data requests via our website, but in the case of Parliament, as I said, it would go via the Library of Parliament.
3:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you.
Ms Blaney, you might consider the possibility of making a request.
On that note, we will be ending this meeting.
On behalf of the committee members, I'd like to thank the witnesses in this second group, both from statistics Canada. They are Josée Bégin, Director General, Labour Market, Education and Socio-Economic Well-Being, and Andrew Heisz, Director, Centre for Income and Socioeconomic Well-being Statistics.
Your presence was very important for us because we want to add more details to our report and to the report's recommendations.
I see that it's getting late.
I'd simply like to inform the members of the committee that on May 20, we will be continuing our study of pension benefits for surviving spouses. At that meeting we will have representatives from Veterans Affairs Canada, the Treasury Board, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR).
I'd also like to thank our entire team here today: the clerk, the interpreters and the whole technical team.
Will the members of the committee agree two adjourning this meeting?
As there are no objections, the meeting is adjourned.