Veterans Affairs Committee on March 29th, 2022

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

I just wanted to confirm that I wasn't giving up any of my time.

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Laurion for his service to our country. I'm impressed by not only the many years of service you've provided, but also how you've come home to provide so much service for other veterans. I want to thank you and recognize that important work.

For my first question, I am going to go to Ms. Lowther. I see that you did a pilot project for LGBTQ2S+ veterans. One of the things we've heard from other witnesses is that there is no data collection around this particular group within the military, and then, of course, it doesn't happen in Veterans Affairs. If you don't sort of quantify information, it's hard to see what's happening with a particular group. I think that when you don't collect data, it is a way of silencing people.

I'm wondering how this project occurred. How were folks identified and what was the main purpose of the project?

[Debbie Lowther]

The purpose or basis of the project was our experience that veterans are more likely to accept support from somebody who understands them, their military culture and their service. We thought that if we took that one step further, maybe veterans who identified as LGBTQ2S+ would appreciate receiving services from somebody within their own community.

The funding we received allowed us to hire a part-time, qualified staff person from the LGBT community.

We identified veterans with our intake form that every veteran completes. We do ask veterans if they want to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity. In the event they do disclose it, they are offered the opportunity to receive services from that staff person.

During that year, we found that 31 veterans disclosed to us that they were from the LGBTQ community. Of those 31, 29 actually declined the offer to receive support from a staff person. During the initial intake phase, by the time they felt comfortable enough to kind of share their story, they were already engaged with a staff person, or a volunteer, so their preference was to stick with that person rather than have to repeat their story.

We didn't really get into a lot of research when we were doing our pilot project, but we did find it very interesting that when a veteran is in crisis, they just want to receive support from somebody who understands them and is going to treat them with respect and not be judgmental.

I guess the end result of the pilot project was that these veterans were willing to accept support from anybody who was prepared to help in a respectful way.

The other thing—

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

Thank you. I'm sorry to interrupt, but my time is running out. I really appreciate that response. It was very helpful.

If I could just come back to the National Association of Federal Retirees, I'll leave it them to decide who answers my question.

I really appreciate what was said about an office of equity-seeking groups. That's a new and important way to look at what we need to see moving forward.

I do want to come back to that data component. We heard again and again that data is being not collected. This is a particular group, the LGBT group, where we know that people sometimes have stayed in the closet for a tremendous amount of time and came out at one point in their service. That information isn't really being quantified, and we're not going to see the services they require based on that.

I'm wondering if somebody from the National Association of Federal Retirees could speak to that.

[Sayward Montague]

I can speak to that in a general sense, MP Blaney.

It comes down to that improved, and more frequent and transparent reporting and data collection at appropriate points. It is also important to ensure that veterans have a choice where that data is shared. I think that's the sum total of our ability to remark on that.

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

Thank you for that.

I also know that the department has set up a specialized unit that has given priority to processing more than a thousand applications from survivors of military sexual trauma, and that training on the subject has been set up for all frontline staff.

Ms. Montague, do you know of any veterans whose cases were given priority by this unit whose objective was to render a decision in less than 30 days?

[Sayward Montague]

I have seen reporting on that. It was a positive demonstration of the ability to process claims quickly. I'm not personally familiar with anyone who would fall under that categorization.

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

Do you know of anyone you represent who had dealings and were aware of the particulars of the sexual trauma and what results came out of this?

If anybody else has a response, I am open to it, although I have no minutes left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Your timing....

[Sayward Montague]

Mr. Chair, may I respond?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Yes, go ahead, please. You have 15 seconds.

[Sayward Montague]

It will be quick.

Very quickly, MP Blaney and Mr. Chair, I'm not aware of members who have come forward to us. That is not to say they do not exist.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you so much.

MP Blaney, it was more than six minutes.

Now I'll invite Ms. Cathay Wagantall, for five minutes, please.

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

Thank you very much, Chair; and thank you to all of you for your service and your passion for caring for veterans. I'm sure that comes from a place of experience yourselves.

I'd like to reach out first to Deb Lowther.

Deb, it's good to see you again. A lot of what we're hearing today I find frustrating in that over the last seven years we have discussed this whole process over and over, with so many recommendations that still fail to be implemented. You mentioned, first of all, the work you do with those with mental health issues and homelessness. You have a wonderful record of service.

Are you still a registered provider? Your means of receiving funding has changed. Does that mean you're no longer...?

Does that change your relationship with VAC?

[Debbie Lowther]

Thank you for that, and it's great to see you as well.

Yes. In 2014-15, we received our contract, which made us service providers. Then, as I mentioned earlier, in 2018, our funding changed. It was to come from the veteran and family well-being fund.

We still have the same sort of relationship with VAC. We work very closely with the case managers.

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

Okay. That's great. I'm glad to hear that.

You mentioned something with the inconsistency, that a checklist would be helpful. You talked about your own intake process. In previous testimony, people have been concerned about checking off boxes and that there isn't that personal relationship, and they think that would be more important. However, at the same time, you need to understand the dynamics.

Who creates that checklist and how is it best implemented, if that's something that should be done more as we have intake of new veterans?

[Debbie Lowther]

I think a checklist could be created in consultation with veterans, as well as perhaps veterans groups. I understand that checking off a box is very impersonal, but if it's done in the proper way, it doesn't have to appear as an interrogation. It can be done in a—

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

Then it's the relational side of going through that process that's important in enabling them to give the answers.

Do you feel that what you do would be a good tool that could be looked at more generally in terms of VAC using it? Are you talking about case managers having a better understanding of what the needs are?

[Debbie Lowther]

Our intake is very detailed. It asks a lot of questions, so we are able to gain a really good picture of that veteran's situation.

I can refer back to when my husband released from the military and he was connected with Veterans Affairs. The case manager that he was assigned was amazing. She literally just asked him about his service from start to finish, where he had been and what he had done, and from that she was able to determine some of the things that he might be eligible for.

For example, he talked about the boots that he wore, and she said, “Oh, you probably have plantar fasciitis.” It's just about getting that information.

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

Right.

Once that was done, how long did it take to work through that process and come up with a sense of the needs of that veteran in your circumstances?

[Debbie Lowther]

In the situation with my husband when he released?

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

Well, that would be with the case manager. In the work that you do, getting to know those veterans, how long does that process take?

[Debbie Lowther]

It's quite quick. We've learned from it over the years. We started out with our intake being very brief, and then we found that it was taking us a longer time to get a full picture of the veteran's situation, so we expanded our intake forms. We collect a lot of information—

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

Okay.

[Debbie Lowther]

—so it could take an hour.

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

I have one more minute, and this is something I'd like to ask you as well.

The Lionel Desmond case is in the news now, and that was a very sad and tragic circumstance. I just want to quote something that comes from the article. It said, “Roughly 400 soldiers are medically released from the Canadian Forces each year due to mental illness, and upwards of 70 per cent of them have partners and children, according to federal figures.”

With all of the work you do with veterans, do you feel that the mental health component is now starting to really get the attention that it's due, and how does it impact the overall health of that veteran and their ability to succeed coming out of the service?