Veterans Affairs Committee on May 20th, 2022

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

Over the coming months, we continued to work with Statistics Canada and CAF on those data linkages. Subsequently, in March 2020, when the pandemic occurred, all non-mission critical work at Statistics Canada had to be halted until further notice, including this project, and this work had to be done on site. From March to October 2020, Statistics Canada was unable to provide any information to us—

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Okay. I appreciate that. I understand the dynamics of the process.

However, then they haven't been asked for any analytic support because you don't see that as their role or there's nothing that they can contribute. I'll ask for a yes or no—really briefly.

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

When we received the data from Statistics Canada in February 2021, we—

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Just a yes or no.

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

We worked with Statistics Canada for two months on analyzing the data to ensure we understood it and were getting the information we needed.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Okay, great. Thank you.

Chair, how much time do I have left?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You have two minutes left.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

I would be pleased to pass that on to my colleague, Ms. Blaney, if she would like to take the time.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Today is a very good day. I am willing to accept that, absolutely, if that's okay with you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

This is the first time I've been in that position.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

It's unique, isn't it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

It's unique.

For two minutes, I think I should consult with the clerk, but let's go.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you so much, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Ms. Blaney, go ahead.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I will come back to Ms. Garrett-Baird.

I'm curious. One thing we heard from Stats Canada was about the information that they were asked to draw. I'm just wondering why the request for stats was so narrow as to not include contrasting information, such as comparing the number of survivors who do not qualify for pensions because of the marriage clause to the number of those who do qualify.

Who specifically ordered her to request this statistical information, and who has the information been shared with? Have other departments or the minister seen it? That would be helpful for me.

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

We went to Statistics Canada, and what they were able to share with us is the number of veterans who received a CAF superannuation pension between 1938 and 2016. They were then able to break that out and give us the number of survivors with a CAF pension as of December 2018, and survivors without a CAF pension—

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Excuse me, Ms. Garrett-Baird, we have a problem with the translation. You have 20 seconds left, but I have to check with the clerk to see if the situation is clear.

I will suspend the meeting to clear that situation.

Thank you.

The meeting is suspended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We are resuming the meeting.

Madam Garrett-Baird, you have 25 seconds to complete your intervention. After that, we'll go to Sean Casey.

Please go ahead, Ms. Garrett-Baird.

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

Perfect.

On the study that we worked on with Statistics Canada, the focus there was on living survivors of a deceased veteran who were in receipt of a CAF pension before death and who married on or after the veteran's 60th birthday. What we wanted was basically the number of survivors who were not receiving any income from that CAF pension. As I noted, we were able to get the number of veterans, right back to 1938, with a superannuation pension, survivors with a CAF pension and survivors without a CAF pension.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you so much.

To close this round, I'd like to invite MP Sean Casey, for five minutes, please.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be sharing my time with MP Valdez.

I want to pick up where Ms. Garrett-Baird left off.

Ms. Garrett-Baird, I think you indicated now a couple of times that the research that was done indicated there were 4,500 survivors who, if the clause were eliminated, would be receiving a pension.

Do I have that right, or is it simply 4,500 who married after 60?

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

No, it's 4,500 survivors who did not receive a pension.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

If the clause were to be eliminated today, the Government of Canada would then be required to pay a survivor's pension to those 4,500 people. Is that right?

[Crystal Garrett-Baird]

I would have to defer to my colleague at National Defence, but based on our research that was done, as of the end date on the research it was 4,490 survivors.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Okay. I see that Mr. Crabtree has turned his mike on. Before I go to him, I want to point something out. Maybe you can incorporate this in your answer, Mr. Crabtree, if you are inclined to participate in this discussion.

When we had Statistics Canada in front of us, they told us that the number who married after 60 presently stands at between 4,000 and 6,000. The number who have had their spouses deceased is between 2,000 and 4,000. The number we're getting from Ms. Baird is 4,500, and the number that we got from Statistics Canada, as of 2018, was between 2,000 and 4,000.

Did you have something you wanted to contribute?