Veterans Affairs Committee on Dec. 2nd, 2025

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Well, I do have time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Mr. Richards, your time is up. Thank you very much.

I will pass it over to Mrs. Hirtle for six minutes.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you, Chair.

Good afternoon, Minister. Thank you for being here today.

There has been some misunderstanding and perhaps some miscommunication or mis-characterization of what budget 2025 does and doesn't include. Let's just put it on the record here, right now: Does the $4.23-billion figure outlined in budget 2025 represent a cut to services or benefits for veterans?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

No, it does not.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Lovely.

Are you cutting the cannabis for medical purposes benefit for veterans?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

We are making an adjustment to the rate of reimbursement on a program basis, from $8.50 to six dollars per gram for cannabis for medical purposes.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you. I'll wait and ask the other members here about the accounting aspect of that later.

Parliamentary Secretary Casey and I met recently with some Gulf War veterans. I'm very interested to hear more. Would you expand on the new medical recognition?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

As I said, I am pleased to be able to announce this change for the recognition of a service-related condition to better align with other nations and the international classification of diseases that recognize Gulf War illness. While illness and injuries related to the Gulf War have been recognized for several years, this formal recognition validates the lived experiences of the Gulf veterans and highlights the importance of continuing to provide clear and accessible pathways to benefits.

I thank the members of the Persian Gulf Veterans for their advocacy on this issue and the continued opportunity to engage with them.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Absolutely. Thank you.

Budget 2025 does outline $184.9 million, a four-year commitment and a further investment of $40.1 million ongoing to modernize delivery at Veterans Affairs.

What do these investments mean for the staff at Veterans Affairs Canada who are currently working on the front line of service delivery?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

This investment means that we will be able to invest part of it in the modernization and tools to support the incredible individuals who are delivering frontline services to our veterans, thereby allowing them the capacity to continue engaging with the increasing number of clients who are coming forward.

Most importantly, the $40.1 million ongoing is a long-term investment that will allow us to continue to deliver the highest level of service to our veterans and to respond to their needs with long-term certainty.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I will dip a little bit into the accounting aspect then, as we're well ahead of our time.

To the best of your knowledge, are the accounting rules used to track and outline the accrued savings unusual in any way?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

No, these are not unusual rules or accounting methods. They are methods that are used consistently throughout the public service, recognizing the full value of the long-term liability at the start end and then the impact that it has in the long term.

You mentioned that you will perhaps be asking questions of the officials, who may be able to expand further on that part of it. I have the utmost confidence that this is a standard practice across the public service and is in line with standard accounting practice.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

To the best of your knowledge, is this a new accounting practice?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

To my knowledge, no, this is not a new accounting practice. This is a practice that is standard procedure in the public service.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

It's not a new accounting practice. It's not unique to this department. It is across the federal public service and through the federal government.

Do you know if this accounting practice is exclusive to Canada?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I do not know specifically. I would defer to the chief financial officer to speak to the specifics of that, as that is their expertise.

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

That's wonderful. Thank you. We'll have more of those questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

You have 20 seconds.

[Pierre Tessier, Assistant Deputy Minister, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Services, Department of Veterans Affairs]

The accounting practices are common in North America and throughout.... There are no differences. They're very common.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much.

Minister, this is not your first committee. As you know, Madame Gaudreau will be asking questions in French. We know that, through the interpretation, sometimes it takes a few extra seconds.

Please go ahead, Madame Gaudreau.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for being here, Minister. It's really important to follow up.

I have a few questions for you, but first I'd like to ask you if you've had the time, with your busy schedule, to follow the committee's recent meetings.

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thank you for your question.

I will answer in English. Thank you.

I receive regular updates from ACVA committee members, from department officials and from my team who attend the meetings on what has been transpiring in the meetings, what is being discussed and the information that is being presented.

Thank you.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

We've heard good news about medical cannabis and veterans with Gulf War syndrome, for example. Since a lot of people are listening to us, including veterans, I'd like to ask you if announcements about other issues are being prepared, after all the meetings we've had.

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

The announcements that I have today are the recognition of the Persian Gulf illness and the investment and ongoing investment in the stabilization and modernization of the service delivery. Those are good-news stories, as this allows us to ensure that veterans receive the care they need and deserve in a timely and accessible fashion.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Several veterans have told us that they felt abandoned, given their health and the special circumstances of their cases, which are sometimes very difficult. They told us that, at the time, there were hospitals where they could see a doctor and receive care. We've heard that over and over again.

Is there any hope that hospitals will be reopened for veterans?