Thank you, Madam Chair.
My French is not very good, I'm sorry.
I'll do this in English.
Thank you for this opportunity.
In 2015 I decided to cut my wrists on a course at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta. Immediately, as soon as I drew blood, I knew it was a mistake. I got myself a course vehicle and drove myself to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, the nurse told me they would have to call the base, call the police, get my chain of command involved and bring up the suicide attempt through the chain of command. I was in the special forces at the time. I said I was working on kit. I smoothed it over as much as I could: I'm special forces. I slipped. I would never do that. Blah blah blah.
They believed it. The next day, I went on course. I finished that course. For the next five years, I used suicide and suicidal ideation as a coping mechanism for mental health.
I spent 15 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, half as an airborne light infantry reconnaissance patrolman and the other half as a special operator and joint terminal attack controller. I was deployed to Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan and trained globally, not only on the leading edge of combat operations but in the highest echelons of our military headquarters.
My name is Gordon Hurley. I am a retired veteran and I am a veteran advocate specifically for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Right now, Veterans Affairs Canada is not fulfilling the requirement of giving veterans the care they deserve with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Veterans Affairs will pay for ketamine, for the drug itself, but they will not pay for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
It's in the name. It's “assisted” therapy. It's psychedelic-assisted therapy. It is not being covered by Veterans Affairs at this time. We're putting veterans at extreme risk while in very, very fragile mental states.
I would like to let you know that in Australia not only is it legal, but on October 31, the Australian government's Department of Veterans' Affairs funded psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy within its own military for veterans. That's MDMA and psilocybin.
Our government is cutting approximately $4 billion over the next four years for medical cannabis. Okay. That's in line with market value, but what are we going to do with this money? Are we just going to absorb it, and it becomes another talking point about how fiscally responsible we are as a government, or are we going to keep that money within Veterans Affairs proper and put it to research programs or new initiatives that our peer nations are well surpassing us on?
Veterans Affairs needs some help. Take our hands. All of us on this panel are trying very hard to make this loud and clear, and for you to listen to the veteran. Because I've been surrounded by the people I have in the last couple of years navigating the charity and veterans sector, my team has come up with something called the veterans accelerated access and research program.
The veterans accelerated access and research program proposes a structured model for safe, regulated access to psychedelic-assisted therapy. The pilot program—not study—would operate under both provincial and federal frameworks, leveraging such provincial leadership as Alberta’s progress in regulated psychedelic-assisted therapy. We would be able to integrate this with a federalized pathway administered by Health Canada. This collaboration would align with Veterans Affairs Canada’s ongoing interest in identifying a lawful mechanism for accessing psychedelic therapy and would also strengthen intergovernmental co-operation on innovative health solutions.
The proposed pilot would begin with 10 to 15 participants receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy at an approved clinic in Alberta under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team, including a psychiatrist, a nurse practitioner and a psychologist. This treatment would adhere to rigorous standards of safety, ethics and clinical care. Future phases would expand to include additional compounds with therapeutic potential, such as psilocybin and ibogaine, pending regulatory approval and oversight.
Following completion, a systematic evaluation would capture feedback from participants, clinicians and administrators while analyzing safety, feasibility and efficacy data. A retrospective research review would then assess treatment outcomes and inform future program expansion to additional provinces.
This process ensures that the program remains accountable, evidence-based and aligned with the highest standards of medical and ethical practices. This initiative directly addresses the inefficiencies and delays currently associated with the special access program and the section 56 exemptions. By streamlining access through a regulated pilot, the veterans accelerated access and research program aims to deliver timely, effective and ethically sound care for veterans in critical need. This scientific evidence will guide future policy and improve long-term outcomes for those who have served Canada with honour.
I came here to tell, sure, a little story. You guys can hear about me more. You can go on the Internet and google me and you can get in-depth podcasts. I came here with a solution, so please take our hand.
Thank you.