Veterans Affairs Committee on Nov. 21st, 2022

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a very simple question.

I understand that your experience was a negative one, Mr. Carter, but what makes you so sure that the system won't work? What is your view based on?

[MCpl (Ret’d) Kelly Carter]

Is there going to be a translation coming across?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

I'm sorry, Master Corporal Carter. At the bottom of your screen, could you please choose translation from French to English?

[MCpl (Ret’d) Kelly Carter]

I see “raise hand”, “participants” and “interpretation” icons.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

It's “interpretation”. You click on that and you choose “English”.

I'm going to ask the MP to repeat his question, and you'll be able to answer.

Please go ahead, Mr. Desilets.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you. The clock is starting over.

Mr. Carter, you had a bad experience and you seem convinced that the system won't work with this new organization. I'd like to know what makes you so certain.

[MCpl (Ret’d) Kelly Carter]

Mr. Chair and Member of Parliament Luc Desilets, I didn't get to finish my introduction. However, as a 30-year veteran who processed education and training benefit claims for soldiers serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, I had no understanding or reason or knowledge that the education and training benefit was being farmed out to a third party contractor.

I asked my caseworker who was handling this. They refused to tell me. I never received approval from them. I had no contact from them, nothing. This is a third party contractor that Veterans Affairs Canada apparently farmed out my $80,000 education and training benefit to to administer for me, and my experience with these third party contractors was not a healthy one. It has not been a positive experience.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

We heard from the department that a hundred or so case managers were involved in assessing whether the system should be changed.

I believe you said earlier that no one had been contacted or asked. Is that right?

Do you not think that 100 people were consulted?

[MCpl (Ret’d) Kelly Carter]

I do not feel that veterans were contacted or reached out to.

I currently have a second level in process to contest services I had with Canadian Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Services. They have somewhere around 180 days to respond to these levels of complaints that we have. I still have one in the queue right now from services I received from third party contractors.

No, we're not being consulted and it's an unhealthy relationship that I've seen.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You have 15 seconds.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

That's fine. I'm done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Desilets.

I'll invite Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen for two and a half minutes, please.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you so much, Master Corporal Carter, for your service and your time with us here today.

Just quickly, you said that your relationship with the third party service provider was horrible. Could you talk to us about how important that relationship with the case manager is? They have the time to provide that one-on-one relationship building and trust building with the veterans they serve.

[MCpl (Ret’d) Kelly Carter]

I've had four case workers—three in Calgary and one in Vancouver Island. I had a very close connection with one out of the four case workers. I connected with, melded with and had coffee with the case worker several times. We had a healthy relationship and that was because that case worker took the time to spend time with me and learn who I was.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

It is really key that they have the time and ability to connect with the veteran, so that they can truly understand what's necessary. I appreciate that.

I have very little time, unfortunately. With the rest of my time, I would like to move the motion that my colleague provided to this committee on Thursday: “That the Department of Veterans Affairs provide to the committee a copy of the contract for rehabilitation services between the department and partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services by Friday, November 25, 2022.”

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you so much.

We have a motion on the table. You already have a copy of that, but we're going to send it to you again so we'll be able to discuss it.

Please, Master Corporal Kelly Carter, stay with us for a few minutes.

Ms. Mathyssen, can you speak about this motion, please?

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

This is pretty straightforward. It's just to have that documentation for that contract provided to the committee officially, so that we have better context moving forward. Now we have two more meetings to discuss this specific contract. It was discussed at the previous meeting, so I would just move it.

I think it's pretty simple.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you so much.

Mr. Casey, go ahead.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Chair, given the time constraints and the concerns over proprietary information, this requires a longer conversation than the one and a half minutes we have left.

I move to adjourn debate on this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We have a motion to adjourn on the table, so we must vote.

Are there any objections to the motion?

I see no objections.

Master Corporal Kelly Carter, I know that it was a short appearance with us, but it was really important to have your testimony. We're going to have more meetings on this study, so maybe members of the committee will invite you. It will depend on you.

On behalf of the members of the committee and myself, I would like to say thank you for your 30 years of service.

I hope your health improves.

On that note, the meeting is adjourned.

(The meeting was adjourned)