Mr. Chair, I thank you and all my colleagues who are here tonight taking part in what is obviously a very important, timely and emotional debate for veterans, serving members and Canadians across the country. As we approach Veterans' Week and Remembrance Day, it is only fitting that we would be here tonight to speak about these magnificent Canadians who do so much for our country.
With respect to the ongoing discussions about what we can do to assist and properly support our veterans, I am very proud of this government's record. In four-plus years we have invested significant amounts of resources for serving members in terms of personnel support on the bases, the equipment they need to do the important work that we ask of them, the places where they train, work, live and raise a family on the bases that we have across Canada, and of course, the ongoing support that they require upon return from active service.
Veterans fought to protect the values that all Canadians cherish, including freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. They helped institute a tradition of excellence and a sense of pride within our armed forces, which the current members of our Canadian Forces carry on today.
Today, these men and women proudly follow in the footsteps of their predecessors by doing a remarkable job for their country, both here and abroad.
Both serving and retired members of the Canadian Forces deserve enormous gratitude and respect in practical terms. The attitudes of Canadians, I believe, need to reflect this, as do governments.
Our men and women in uniform are our best citizens. They stand for the principles and values that we hold dear: freedom, democracy and the rule of law. They are the epitome of public service and they bring action to bear in implementing these important things. These are not just watchwords; these are actual values by which they live.
Those principles that we hold dear perpetuate outward to other countries, in places such as Afghanistan, and in previous generations, countries such as Korea and places around the world that were in need of Canada, in need of protection, in need of some of the basics and the things that we take for granted on occasion.
As a country, we need to reflect sometimes on how fortunate we are and the obligation that brings to us to assist, to aid, to make things better. The most obvious instrument of positive change in many cases are the men and women of the Canadian Forces who are able to go and establish a peace, a stability, an environment to enable some of the important development, reconstruction and aid that we are able to bring to bear.
We must do everything we can with that in mind to care for and support serving and retired military personnel in a comprehensive way, not lip service but practical, meaningful support to ensure that they have what they need both in the implementation of their duties and when they return, if they need our assistance.
As a government we have taken several measures to improve the services provided to men and women in uniform, as well as those who have retired. Part of this is the co-operation that is now well under way between the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs, ensuring that we have lock-step synchronicity when it comes to the delivery of programs. We are making significant efforts to ensure that the transition from service offered to the Canadian Forces members and to services provided to Veterans Affairs is smooth, without hurdles and without bureaucratic bungles. There is work to be done and we are addressing these issues.
I also want to state that there is much greater recognition and sensitivity now to issues that relate to mental health. These issues require more attention and greater priority.
I am grateful to the chief of the defence staff, Walt Natynczyk, and those in the leadership of the Canadian Forces for having shone a light on these important matters. The launching of the “Be The Difference” campaign last year brought into full daylight the issues that stem from post-traumatic stress and service overseas.
We have to continue to do things such as doubling the number of mental health care professionals, ensuring that joint personnel support units are there to provide the assistance when it is required, and in many cases, simply recognizing the stigma that does attach itself to mental health. The “Be The Difference” campaign is an awareness drive aimed at building a culture of understanding and respect and encouraging strong community support within the Canadian Forces and within the broader community.
We are working closely with other mental health associations around the country to ensure that we are benefiting from the most recent treatment and the most recent methods of addressing these important issues. The government is also making sure that the Canadian Forces have access to the best possible health services and installations. Most notably, the joint personnel support units are very much aimed at giving practical support in ways that in the past have perhaps been overlooked.
This summer I had the opportunity to travel across this country to make announcements about the work we will be doing to renew our defence infrastructure.
In addition to many other projects, the government is allocating funds to build and renovate health services centres in Comox, Gagetown and Greenwood.
We believe it is essential to have state-of-the-art facilities to give our Canadian soldiers access to the best health care possible.
We are implementing measures that allow the Canadian Forces to partner with civil institutions, thereby providing our men and women in uniform with the greatest access to the best existing health care facilities. Challenges given the size of the country and some of the existing challenges within the Canadian health care system obviously have an impact on this delivery.
For example, my parliamentary secretary from Edmonton and I were pleased to announce an agreement with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton for the installation of a $1 million computer-assisted rehabilitation environment, a CAREN system as it is known, a virtual reality program that is the second system in Canada being made available to members of the Canadian Forces. It is a dedicated patient care clinic specifically for rehabilitating grievous injuries, both physical and mental. There is another CAREN system, by the way, here in Ottawa. This is very much an important part of having the most state-of-the-art technology to assist in the rehabilitation of our soldiers.
This also is in keeping with our government's recognition of the importance of rehabilitation and recovery throughout the country, medical treatment, clinical treatment and mental health. Our Canadian Forces men and women require a lot of family support, and financial stability as well, and the comfort and accessibility of accommodations within their own homes.
A little over a month ago, the Minister of Veterans Affairs and I announced new measures to address some of the needs of the Canadian Forces personnel who have suffered serious injury. These measures amount to $52 million over the next five years, with the intent to honour the legacy of soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen who have sacrificed so much.
This legacy of care program includes five new measures to improve the assistance that is offered to the members of the Canadian Forces who have been grievously injured. The government has set up a permanent barrier-free transition housing program for severely injured veterans undergoing rehabilitation, as well as support for their families. We are also improving support services such as transportation to doctors appointments and delivery of medicine and groceries, and caregiver respite. We are also providing financial support to the exceptional people, whether family or friends, who are supporting and standing by our recovering military personnel. We are also extending the spousal education upgrade program, which is now benefiting more family members of military personnel killed or permanently incapacitated since October 2001.
This legacy of care program will very much improve access for veterans and serving members to information and individual attention.
I was pleased to be joined at that announcement by a number of members of the Canadian Forces and veterans, including Master Corporal Jody Mitic, who I know is watching this debate. These important practical improvements will bring about greater change.
Yes, there is more to do. The Minister of Veterans Affairs has alluded to this. We want to ensure consistency and continuity with respect to how we treat our men and women in uniform. We have improved, as I mentioned, the joint personnel support unit, which is a one-stop shopping centre for people to go to and have all these issues addressed on the base, but we are investing in the programs.
One of the most important things we can do that I know veterans watch closely is to continue to invest in the existing Canadian Forces, both in personnel support, enlarging the size of the Canadian Forces, and improving the bases and the equipment they currently have. There is tremendous pride within the Canadian Forces. When veterans see what we are doing for our serving personnel today, they share in that pride.
To conclude, I want to thank all the members who are participating in this important debate. I give assurances that at the Department of National Defence, as well as Veterans Affairs, we are working lockstep to address some of the outstanding issues that still exist, including the lump sum. We have every intention to continue investing heavily, as we have in recent years, in the issues that matter most to veterans and serving members of the Canadian Forces.