Chairperson and members of the committee, when we talk about the PCVRS contract, we are not simply talking about a service delivery model. This is a matter of trust, expertise and responsibility toward our veterans.
Since the implementation of the PCVRS contract, we have witnessed a fundamental and troubling shift in how rehabilitation services are delivered to our veterans. This shift comes at the expense of those who know these veterans best: the case managers at Veterans Affairs Canada.
These professionals are not interchangeable. They possess unique expertise developed over years at the very heart of the public system. They understand invisible injuries, trauma and military realities. They do not simply manage files. They support lives.
Let me ask a simple question: Why was this internal expertise pushed aside in favour of a privatized model?
What we see on the ground today is clear. We see veterans lost in a fragmented system. We see inconsistent rehabilitation pathways. We see delays, duplication and, far too often, a loss of trust.
Meanwhile, case managers—the real experts—are relegated to administrative coordination rather than professional intervention. This is a step backward, not progress.
We were promised efficiency. We were promised improved accessibility. What our members are seeing is increased complexity, diluted responsibility and a loss of coherence in care. Let's be honest: When services are fragmented, the veterans pay the price.
I also want to highlight a reality that we cannot ignore. The employees of Veterans Affairs Canada are still there every day trying to make this model work. They absorb the problems. They compensate for the gaps. They strive to maintain the level of service our veterans deserve, despite the obstacles, but they should not have to fix a system that was poorly designed.
This committee must ask fundamental questions. Is this model truly putting veterans at the centre of decision-making? Are we fully using the expertise that already exists within VAC? Most importantly, is this system actually better than the one we had before? Today, everything indicates that the answer is no.
Let me be clear. We are not here to defend the status quo. We are here to defend a fundamental principle: Veterans deserve the best possible service, not an administrative experiment.
What we are asking for is reasonable but urgent. Restore a central role for our case managers at Veterans Affairs Canada, seriously consider not renewing the PCVRS contract, end the fragmentation of services and, above all, listen to those at the front lines: the employees of VAC and the veterans themselves.
Right now, we risk losing something precious: a system built on expertise, human connection and trust. Once that trust is broken, it is very difficult to rebuild.
In conclusion, veterans deserve a system that is coherent, humane and effective, and the employees of Veterans Affairs Canada are ready and able to be the foundation of such a system. This is why we are calling for the non-renewal of the current private contract and for the repatriation of rehabilitation services back into VAC, as they were before.
The expertise already exists with Veterans Affairs Canada, and it must be fully utilized rather than outsourced. I therefore invite the ACVA committee to seriously consider the issues raised today and to work with us to improve this system in the best interests of those who have served our country.
Thank you.