Evidence of meeting #58 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 women.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Have you received any support for your project? You certainly haven't received any from the forces, but what about Veterans Affairs Canada?
Corporal (Retired) and Owner, Ma Langue Aux Chats Cat Café
No, never.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Desilets.
Now I would like to invite Ms. Rachel Blaney, for two and a half minutes, please.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you, Chair.
I would like to ask a question of retired leading seaman Nadine Schultz-Nielsen.
I'm wondering, based on your testimony, whether you can explain the difference between your PTSD and major depressive disorder.
Leading Seaman (Retired), As an Individual
Thank you, Chair.
I started getting treatment for PTSD in 2014 after a diagnosis from a civilian psychologist. PTSD, for me, is manageable. With the treatment that I've received over the years, I'm able to manage my symptoms. To be perfectly honest and clear, depression is a killer. I have yet to find a treatment that works for it and it eats you alive like a cancer.
Thank you.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you for that.
Could you explain the difference between the causes, so PTSD and the cause, and then the major depressive disorder? What do you think is the cause of the major depressive disorder?
Leading Seaman (Retired), As an Individual
My PTSD has been linked to my military service and the assaults that I've experienced. My major depressive disorder came on after I was denied DEC by VAC. As far as I'm concerned, it's 100% caused by VAC. The denials, the jumping through hoops to be treated with a little bit of dignity, wear you down. You can't fix it.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you.
Retired Captain Siew, very quickly, you talked about changing the adjudication process of disability claims in the context of the needs of all women veterans. I'm wondering whether you could explain what you think that would look like. I think it's a fantastic idea.
Capt(N) (Ret'd) Louise Siew
I fundamentally believe that women are being expected to put in claims and provide the conditions of service with proof, and the bottom line is that they don't have any proof. But DND does know, the Canadian Forces does know, how these women were treated over the years. I think they owe an obligation to women veterans in that they didn't do anything for them when they were serving. They hurt them when they were serving, so they have an obligation now to identify just what they did.
They know. It's not like they don't. If they don't, there are stakeholder women like me across the veteran community who would be happy to come in and tell them. We are there. We know. We are dealing with veterans all the time. We'd be happy to explain.
If they provide that, it just means that the veteran herself doesn't have to document when she has no documentation. This is ridiculous. If they're going to do it with MST and acknowledge with MST that women's voices matter and that women's stories matter, and we know that already, that precedent has been set. That has already been done. This would move things ahead light years if we did just this one thing and the Canadian Armed Forces stepped up and said what they did to women. They know the equipment issues.
In my opinion, this is low-hanging fruit. It's something that they can do and it's something that will make a huge difference to women veterans.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you very much, Madam Blaney and Madam Siew.
The two last interventions will be for three minutes each.
I would like to invite Mrs. Wagantall to go ahead for three minutes, please.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
It's all good, Chair. Thank you so much.
Ms. Siew, you talked about successfully redressing the maternity leave policy. Can you just embellish that a little bit?
Capt(N) (Ret'd) Louise Siew
Oh, it's a sad tale. It was 1986, first of all. At that time, if you took any maternity benefits whatsoever, you were considered to be on leave without pay. It affected your pension.
I fundamentally believe that, first of all, my pensionable service should not be impacted by the fact that I'm having a baby. I put in a redress of grievance. I didn't grieve the fact that I only got 17 weeks of leave without pay, so that I could move on to UIC—as it was called then—when the clerk beside me, my secretary, got 93 weeks of paid leave, which it was at that time. However, I did just grieve that position to make sure—I had to fill it out three times during the course of my pregnancy—and they approved it the day after my son was born and made sure it wasn't retroactive.
Just so we're clear here, they approved it the day after and made sure it wasn't retroactive. That's what I'm talking about by spiteful policies.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Right. Thank you.
I believe it was you, Ms. Nielsen, who said, “My mental health has hindered my ability to apply for benefits.” What you were just talking about was sanctuary trauma, which really is so much of this. I hear that a lot from all veterans who are suffering significantly. What is destroying them is the fact that they feel so undervalued by Veterans Affairs.
Is that a fair statement in terms of what you were saying with regard to the depression you have suffered?
Leading Seaman (Retired), As an Individual
Yes. In 2015 I actually applied for sanctuary trauma through Veterans Affairs. My claim was suspended, which means there's no recourse. You can't appeal it. It's done.
Yes, sanctuary trauma is exactly what we're all experiencing through our dealings with Veterans Affairs.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Ms. Nilsson, would you like to comment on that at all with regard to your relationship with VAC and how that has impacted your health?
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Did you have anything you wanted to say about the impact of the constant struggle, I guess, in regard to dealing with VAC and the impact on your overall health?
Petty Officer, 2nd Class (Retired), As an Individual
Yes, ma'am. For me, on dealing with Veterans Affairs, when I have to deal with Veterans Affairs, I shut down for about three or four weeks after I deal with them. I start shaking. I see an email on my VAC account and I just shut down.
I just recently got a reassessment for my cervical spine, and I have in total probably 14 pages of paperwork to do. Actually, I just got a call from my physiatrist before we started this, and he doesn't want to do paperwork because he doesn't want to deal with Veterans Affairs people.
That's how—