Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you today.
My name is Shawn Carter. I'm the executive director of EHN Canada and the head of one of our EHN Guardians treatment centres, which exclusively serve members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans and first responders. I also serve as national director of our treatment programs across the EHN Guardians network to ensure the standardization and delivery of clinical excellence in these important segments.
I'm here today on behalf of our organization and, more importantly, on behalf of the veterans we are privileged to serve through the PCVRS program.
EHN Canada is a national provider of in-patient and outpatient mental health, addiction and trauma treatment, with specialized programs delivered across the country in both English and French. Within EHN, our EHN Guardians programs are intentionally designed to provide culturally competent, trauma-informed care specifically for military members, veterans and first responders.
I hope this testimony provides a bit more information about how that's done and how that's done well. These are not modified civilian programs. They're purpose-built environments shaped by an understanding of service culture, operational trauma, moral injury and the realities of life after service.
One of the most important lessons we've learned as an organization is that how care is delivered is just as important as what care is delivered. Many veterans arrive in treatment, at least from our perspective, with prior experience in things like institutional harm or perceived institutional betrayal. When systems that are meant to protect or support instead feel unpredictable, opaque or dismissive, that experience can mirror earlier trauma and significantly undermine trust and engagement in care. This is sometimes referred to as sanctuary trauma. Preventing it requires organizational commitment, and not just at the individual clinical level or technician level.
At EHN Guardians, trauma-informed principles are embedded at a systemic level from intake to treatment to discharge and beyond. This includes predictable expectations of the care process, clear communication, transparency about decisions and respect for autonomy and veterans' voices. Veterans are actively involved in their care planning, and feedback mechanisms are built into programs so that concerns can be raised safely, without fear of negative consequences.
Consistency and transparency are particularly critical with the veterans we serve. Veterans are understandably sensitive to sudden changes in rules, staffing assignments or treatment plans. When change is unavoidable, we prioritize clear explanations and dialogue. When mistakes occur, as they inevitably will in any system, we focus on and acknowledge the impact. We take responsibility and make meaningful corrections.
Equally important is how we support our staff. Sanctuary trauma is far more likely to occur in environments where staff are burned out or unsupported by the system. We invest in the recruitment of culturally competent clinicians and in ongoing training in trauma- and veteran-informed care, and have reflective supervision structures that allow staff to manage the ethical and emotional weight of this work. We really do believe that healthy systems create safer care.
Our partnership with PCVRS reflects these same values from our perspective. We do not see ourselves as owning a veteran's journey. Instead, we see our role as one part of a broader continuum of care. Marc-André spoke to this being really important. We see this happening in collaboration with Veterans Affairs Canada, community providers and families.
That collaboration is operationalized through structured touchpoints within treatments, including introductory calls, medical assessments, midpoint progress reports, discharge planning conferences and discharge summaries. These processes help ensure continuity, accountability and a shared understanding.
We also believe strongly in continuous improvement. When something isn't working as well as it should, we course-correct. One example is the recent collaboration that was initiated with PCVRS to strengthen step-down and transition supports, recognizing that a particularly vulnerable time for many veterans is when people are discharging out of intensive treatment. Another is the enhancement of our EHN Guardians family program, developed in response to the clear need to better support families, who are often carrying a significant and unseen burden alongside their loved one.
From a service delivery perspective, the veterans we support through PCVRS present with complex and overlapping needs. A significant proportion experience concurrent trauma and addiction, requiring integration and specialized care. Others require targeted trauma therapy and processing, addiction-focused treatment or structured outpatient interventions. The PCVRS program and the care we deliver are important in meeting these diverse needs across in-patient and outpatient settings.
In closing, I want to emphasize this: Veterans do not need perfection from the systems that serve them, but they do need consistency, transparency, respect and genuine partnership. Programs like PCVRS, when paired with providers that are committed to trauma-informed, culturally competent and accountable care, play a vital role in restoring trust and supporting recovery. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this work, and we remain committed to learning, adapting and constantly evolving to better serve our Canadian veteran population.
Thank you for your time and for your continued attention to the mental health and well-being of Canada's veterans and their families.
