Thank you, Chair.
[Witness spoke in Anishinabe as follows:]
Niin waabanaakwat nindizhinikaaz, migizii nindoodam Duck lake onjibaa nookomis.
[Anishinabe text translated as follows:]
My spirit name is Dawn of the Day Cloud. My clan is the Bald Eagle. My grandmother comes from Duck Lake.
[English]
I am Métis and a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario.
I am joining you today from the unceded and unsurrendered lands of Wolastoqey in what is known as Menahkwesk, now called the City of Saint John.
My name is Todd Ross and I am co-chair of Rainbow Veterans of Canada.
I am pleased to be here today to speak to you about service delivery for 2SLGBTQ+ veterans, and I applaud the committee's effort to undertake this study. I would note that I hope, in the future, that the committee includes services to first nation, Inuit and Métis veterans as part of this work.
I'm a veteran and one of the lead plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit known as the “LGBT Purge”. Rainbow Veterans of Canada was created shortly after the class action suit to fill a gap by being an advocacy and education organization to 2SLGBTQ+ veterans. We serve those who were part of the urge and all 2SLGBTQ+ veterans.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the removal of the ban on LGBT people serving openly in the military, while many of us just recently started our relationship with Veterans Affairs.
When I received my honourable discharge in 1990, I was told that I would never qualify for services from Veterans Affairs and that I was not a veteran. This was common for many purge survivors.
Purge survivors tend to be older, with high rates of mental health challenges. With years of experiencing homophobia and transphobia in society, many of us avoided Veterans Affairs, because we did not feel that we could trust VAC, and there was a fear of not being safe, but we have seen a dramatic change in recent years.
Veterans Affairs created a dedicated 1-800 number and dedicated staff for LGBT veterans around the same time as the apology in the House of Commons. We have witnessed great work from VAC since the apology. We have noted the leadership of the minister to work with 2SLGBTQ+ veterans, and we greatly appreciate the work of the new directorate for women and 2SLGBTQ+ veterans. These efforts are removing many of the roadblocks to services that had previously existed.
There are four areas I would like to point out today, which I believe need change to assist 2SLGBTQ+ veterans.
First, staff at VAC need ongoing training to be aware of the history of the LGBT purge and the challenges facing all 2SLGBTQ+ veterans. Rainbow Veterans is pleased to continue to assist with this training.
Second, dealing with staff at VAC can be intimidating to veterans. The high turnover of case managers is particularly harmful. For example, one veteran recently had four case managers in the past year. That means that four times they had to recount their personal story and be retraumatized each time. 2SLGBTQ+ veterans receive a “blue zone” classification. This is a priority designation. I would suggest that district directors be aware of case managers who are most familiar with the LGBT purge and match these case managers to the blue zone clients in their district.
Third, many purge survivors are older and are approaching Veterans Affairs for the first time in their lives. Those over 65 are told that they have aged out and do not qualify for benefits. Veterans Affairs needs to take responsibility for assisting these veterans even after age 65. There have been some exemptions, but there have also been veterans turned away. These veterans should receive the benefits for rehabilitation and an income benefit after 65.
Finally, we need to feel welcomed. After being shut out for so long, we need to see ourselves reflected in communications, and we need to see more services be inclusive in both VAC and other organizations that are funded by VAC to deliver services. We need to see more 2SLGBTQ+ veterans and partnerships profiled, and we suggest that there be a safe space designation at physical locations and on the VAC website.
I thank you for allowing me to present to the committee today, and I thank you for undertaking this review.