Veterans Affairs Committee on Oct. 31st, 2023

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Ministers, for being with us today.

I will have to go on a bit of a tangent here for a moment, because in preparation for today and in reading some of the background information, I was reflecting on my time in that fantastic chair over there and the studies that were done on commemoration and some of the work that was done. I would be remiss if I didn't take advantage of this opportunity to remind this committee and Canadians of the amazing work that's already being done by dozens if not hundreds of artists across Canada commemorating Canadians during the Afghan war.

One of those amazing artists was a gentleman by the name of David Sopha, who unfortunately passed away not that long ago. David was a member in my riding, a constituent in my riding. He took it upon himself to create an organization called Portraits of Honour. If you've not heard of it, look it up. It's an amazing non-profit organization commemorating fallen soldiers. Specifically, the cornerstone of that organization was a painting that he created, which is 40 feet long and 10 feet high, commemorating all 158 fallen soldiers in the Afghan war.

David taught me a lot about commemoration and the importance of communicating with those soldiers and, in this case, the families of the soldiers. He spoke at length to Afghan vets to get a sense of what they wanted to see and how to best commemorate them.

I think it's incredibly important for us to learn from that and to celebrate the courage, sacrifice and loss of those who fought valiantly during the mission in Afghanistan. Quite frankly, it's important to support them as well.

I'm wondering, Minister, if you can tell us what was done to help them transition into civilian life and what programs are available to them today.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Thanks so much, Mr. May.

First and foremost, I think it's really important and very telling that we thank all of the serving members and also our veterans as we're approaching Remembrance Day. The work they did in this mission and other missions is really exemplary and for that we thank them.

With respect to the Afghan veterans, some who are still serving and some who are exiting, it's truly important to make sure as the federal government that we continue to support them in their times of need. We certainly recognize that many Afghan veterans have suffered physical injuries and psychological injuries, and they have to live with that.

As a government, it's truly important to make sure that we ensure that these services are in place and that they get the services when they need them in a timely fashion. As the Department of Veterans Affairs, we continue to work hand in hand with those veterans in order to make sure that we meet their needs.

I have several nephews who served in the Afghan mission, and I have seen the toll that the mission has taken on them personally and also on their families. As such, it's really important to make sure we're there for them in their time of need.

As the Minister of Veterans Affairs, it's a portfolio that I take very personally, and I certainly want to do all that we can to make sure that we support our veterans now and in the future.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

On the specific aspect of this memorial, I've talked to veterans who are impatient. They want this built.

I think you talked a little bit about the process today. You were asked about deadlines, but I'm wondering if you can update us on where we're at with this process. What does that look like moving forward, and what big hurdles do we still need to overcome?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Having worked and met with veterans over the past three months, when the issue of the Afghan monument becomes an area that I'm questioned on, oftentimes I hear that people are very anxious, and they want to see this done sooner rather than later. People are concerned that there are going to be delays.

I'm pleased to report that the National Capital Commission has signed the contract, so that hurdle is done. Now we need to start making sure that the construction can start in a very timely fashion.

As I've indicated, there was a bit of delay in the past with respect to the location where the monument was going to be. When we formed government, we made sure that we found an appropriate location for the monument, and from there we've gone through this process. The next step will be to make sure that we have the individuals who are going to build the monument in place.

The Stimson company, of course, developed the design, but they are not the ones who are going to be building the monument per se, so that's the next phase of the work that needs to be done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Minister. That's all the time we have.

Thanks to all of you for the testimony. It was great.

I have to inform members of the committee that this week we're going to have our training on trauma. Next week, we plan to come back to the monument for an hour, and we're going to have one hour on women veterans. For that meeting, the clerk said that we're not going to invite women veterans. We're going to invite researchers and academics at the same time. We know how special it is when we have women veterans testifying here, but that's what we are planning to do.

I'd like to thank the witnesses who are with us today.

We had, from the House of Commons, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage. From the Department of Canadian Heritage, we had Ms. Isabelle Mondou, deputy minister, and Ms. Emmanuelle Sajous, assistant deputy minister, sport, major events and commemorations. From the Department of Veterans Affairs, we had Mr. Paul Ledwell, deputy minister, and Ms. Amy Meunier, assistant deputy minister, commemoration and public affairs branch.

I'd like to thank the entire technical team.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adjourn the meeting?

I'm getting nods.

The meeting is adjourned.