Sylvain Chicoine

[Veterans, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I asked for an adjournment debate today because I heard some horrible comments in response to a question I asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs, which went unanswered. Those are two reasons why I asked for this debate.

On November 4, I asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs why less than 30% of the budget for the funeral assistance program had been disbursed. He said that he had doubled the limits of the program.

The next day, I tried again. I asked what was the point of doubling the limits of a program when veterans and their families are not even eligible for it. I was very shocked to hear the minister reply that it was wishful thinking on my part that more veterans would die so more money from the funeral and burial program would be used. That is shameful.

That would be like me saying that the minister is cutting veterans' care because he wants them to die more quickly to save even more money. I would never stoop to making the kind of remarks made by the Minister of Veterans Affairs. However, in light of his answer and comments, I cannot help but wonder.

Following this despicable comment, the minister told me that the answer, or non-answer, was the same: he had doubled the limits of the program. In fact, it was a non-answer. To ensure that the parliamentary secretary clearly understands the question, I will put it back into context.

Using the assets to assess the net worth of a veteran's estate is problematic because it restricts a veteran's access to the program. The Royal Canadian Legion stated that the government had effectively limited the ability of the Last Post Fund to carry out its mandate by reducing the estate exemption from $24,000 to $12,000. That happened under a Liberal government, between 1995 and 1997 if I am not mistaken.

Since 2006, nothing has been done, with the result that since that year, 67% of requests submitted by veterans' families—which felt that these veterans were living below the poverty level—have been denied. The families were asking for help under the funeral and burial program to cover the veterans' funeral expenses. We all agree that $12,000 in assets is not much.

To summarize, the minister said he had doubled the amount last year. Indeed, until last year, the government gave about $3,600 to cover funeral expenses of veterans in need. It was not enough, of course, since these expenses usually total around $8,000 or $9,000. The amount was therefore doubled and is now around $7,600.

However, the problem is that veterans and their families are not eligible for that program because the criteria are very strict. When a veteran dies, his assets must not exceed $12,000, otherwise the request is denied under the program.

Will the government agree to expand the eligibility criteria so that more veterans' families have access to this program to cover the veterans' funeral expenses, so that they can get a decent funeral?

I am asking the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs to answer the question: is the government prepared to expand these eligibility criteria?

[Afghan Veterans Monument, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the House today to debate an important motion regarding a monument to honour the memory of our Afghan veterans.

On May 30, the member for Palliser moved a motion to erect a monument for our Afghan veterans. We are proud to support this worthwhile motion because we feel it is important to honour the contribution of our veterans and members of our diplomatic corps who worked in Afghanistan. The NDP is proud to say that it respects the sacred duty to honour and take care of our injured veterans.

Our military personnel have been participating in foreign missions for more than a century. Military personnel heeded the nation's call to defend our values, freedoms and democracy. Now it falls to us, Canadian citizens and parliamentarians, to do our duty and honour the memory, the service and the sacrifices of our veterans. They did it for us. Our soldiers and their families answered the call with honour, and it is now our turn to return the favour.

Canadian monuments honouring our veterans are where Canadians pause to remember the contribution of all our veterans to preserving our rights and freedoms. As evidenced by the participation of Canadians in the Remembrance Day ceremonies, they are there to remember our veterans, but also to support active members of our Canadian Forces.

The support of Canadians for our troops is unwavering, both in good times, such as when we celebrate the obvious relief of military families when they are reunited again, or in bad times, when we learn of untimely deaths. Canadians then get together to pay a final tribute. We are all proud of the great work done every day by Canadian Forces to protect Canadians and to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

In my role as deputy critic for veteran affairs, I frequently meet members of the Canadian Forces and, of course, veterans. I am always very impressed by their pride, their solidarity and their perseverance.

Yet, the unique lifestyle of these families is far from easy. The frequent moves, the unexpected postings and the daily risks weigh heavily on the family unit and on its economic survival. Moreover, it is impossible to imagine what these men and women feel during their deployment, the sadness of leaving their loved ones, the fear of future battles and the worries about possible injuries or even death. Therefore, we must salute their courage in the face of adversity.

Even after their life in the Canadian Forces, our veterans—particularly those who are injured—and their families have a hard time dealing with the consequences that these deployments in conflict zones may have on them. The first obstacle is the return to civilian life. It is extremely difficult for them to quit the only career they ever had and thought they would have for the rest of their working lives.

However, before they can make a professional transition, they will have to embark on a rehabilitation program to address or alleviate their health problems. For the families that have to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, this may be even more difficult. The spouse and children must be on the lookout for the veteran's mood swings.

Once, a veteran told me how extremely difficult it was to hear his son say that he did not know what kind of father he would have to deal with from day to day, since the veteran's mood was so unstable. It is very difficult for them to manage a condition that prevents them from participating fully in family life. Husbands and wives must be on the lookout for different crisis triggers to protect their spouse. They become increasingly defensive, which can result in isolation from the family.

Canadians must take care of them, and this is truly where the sacred duty of the government lies: in taking take care of those who were sent into danger. Faced with the difficulties of deployment right up to their transition, including the treatment for their injuries, the soldiers and their families manage to cope. This is why Canadians are so proud of the veterans and members of the Canadian Forces.

I would like to speak briefly about today's issue, a debate on a new monument to the Afghanistan veterans.

Everyone remembers the events of September 11 and the deployment of our troops to Afghanistan. I will outline the key aspects of that mission.

The Canadian government quickly deployed special forces under U.S. command in the months after September 11.

In January 2002, the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan consisted of 3,000 soldiers. In 2004, Rick Hillier assumed command of the NATO mission. In 2005, Canada took command of the Kandahar region, where 2,500 troops had been deployed.

In total, 39,277 soldiers were deployed. Almost $2 billion was invested in development aid. Furthermore, 158 of our soldiers as well as some civilians, including a journalist, lost their lives during this conflict. The final withdrawal of our troops should take place in 2014.

The motion was moved on May 30. However, on July 9, the Minister of National Defence announced the repatriation of a monument installed at the Kandahar airfield. This monument was brought back to Canada and is presently touring the country. The installation includes 190 commemorative plaques representing 201 Canadians who died in the conflict or, as I mentioned, soldiers and some civilians, including one journalist.

According to the National Defence website, the long-term objective is to reconstruct the Kandahar airfield cenotaph and return it to its original and legitimate form in a permanent, prominent, respectful and accessible location in the national capital region.

I would like to know the government's intention with respect to this motion. The member for Palliser said that a location has not been chosen and that no decision has been made about what monument will be erected and what will be inscribed on it. We would like some clarification.

I would also like to point out that Canada still does not have a commemorative monument for its veterans who participated in the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. It has been more than 10 years since that mission ended, and it is time that those veterans also had their own monument in order to pay tribute to those soldiers, their sacrifices and their service.

Beginning in 1991, tens of thousands of Canadian Forces members strived to help make the Balkan region secure and maintain the fragile peace. The largest number of Canadians to serve in a UN mission in the region at any one time was 2,000. In the Balkans, 20 Canadians lost their lives in the various missions, and many more were injured physically or psychologically. These veterans of peacekeeping missions also deserve to be honoured through the creation of a memorial for those who lost their lives. Of course, we are waiting for the government to make a move on this.

I would also like to point out that veterans are still calling for the return of a volunteer service medal and a medal for veterans of the Cold War, who protected Canada for decades.

My hon. colleague from Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing has introduced a private member's bill in that regard, to create the first Cold War medal.

In closing, I would like to reiterate the NDP's unwavering support for our troops and our sincere desire to recognize the sacred duty we have to take care of our wounded veterans. We feel it is important to commend the service and sacrifices of our veterans through ceremonies and memorials. However, there is another way to honour veterans, and I think this is the best way to pay tribute to them: by providing them with the benefits and services that they need and deserve. We owe it to them.

After fighting on the front lines, our soldiers should not have to fight the government to get the benefits they deserve.

I would like to end by thanking my hon. colleague for this great motion to pay tribute to the troops that served in Afghanistan.

[Afghan Veterans Monument, November 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Palliser for moving this excellent motion. It goes without saying that this type of commemorative monument would be erected to honour the memory of soldiers who were killed. I would like to thank my colleague for this worthwhile initiative.

I would like to ask my colleague a question. He moved this motion on May 30. Just weeks later, the Minister of National Defence announced that he would repatriate an existing cenotaph that was erected at the Kandahar airfield. Does my colleague feel that we could use the cenotaph that was repatriated and that is currently travelling across the country, or should we build a new one?

[Canadian Forces, November 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, let us continue with the topic of Conservative mismanagement.

Too many soldiers who have been wounded in combat are being released from the Canadian Forces before achieving the 10 years of service required to receive a pension. We have raised this serious issue in the House on a number of occasions, but the minister continues to deny that this problem exists. He says that it does not.

Can the minister stop hiding his head in the sand and commit to ensuring that soldiers will not be released before they have earned the right to a pension?

[Veterans, November 5th, 2013]

Such fine speeches, Mr. Speaker, but the reality is that the Conservatives continue to balance their budget on the backs of heroes who risked their lives for our country, which is what they did with the veterans' funeral and burial program.

I asked the minister yesterday why less than 30% of the budget for the funeral assistance program had been disbursed. He said that he had doubled the limits of the program.

What is the point of doubling the limits of a program when veterans and their families are not even eligible for it?

[Veterans, November 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Remembrance Day is approaching. It is important to take the time in the next few days to honour those who have served and continue to serve our country. In order to honour these men and women, I am duty bound to ask for an explanation from the minister as to why some injured soldiers are released from the military before they are ready to leave and why assistance with funeral expenses is so limited that less than 30% of the funds have been disbursed?

[Remembrance Day, November 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, during this week leading up to Remembrance Day, let us remember the thousands of men and women who answered the call to defend our nation's values, freedoms and democracy.

It is impossible to imagine what these men and women must have felt during their deployment—the sadness of leaving their loved ones, the fear of future battles and the worries about possible injuries or even death. We salute their courage in the face of adversity.

Canadians have always been ready and willing to support our troops. Our support for our troops is unwavering. When, for example, we learn of untimely deaths, we come together to pay a final heartfelt tribute to our heroes. Each and every one of us is proud of the outstanding job that the members of our Canadian Forces do to protect us.

On November 11, as we gather around memorials across the country, let us remember the sacrifices they made for us all. Let us remember those who were injured and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Lest we forget.

[National Defence, October 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to duck and weave. What a complete lack of class.

Canadian soldiers serve their country with the utmost courage. They certainly should not have to fight their own government to have the right to be treated with dignity when they come home injured.

Will the minister immediately reinstate Corporal Hawkins and ensure that no injured soldiers will be forced out and fired without a pension? Yes or no?

[Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2, October 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his excellent question.

He pointed out one of the biggest shortcomings of this bill: the fact that the government is amending approximately 80 laws in a 300-page document and we have only a few hours of debate in the House of Commons to examine it because the government moved a time allocation motion. This bill will not be examined properly. It is simply disgraceful. This bill addresses many issues, and we will not have the opportunity to conduct a thorough and proper examination of it. It could potentially contain mistakes, like the error concerning the tax rate for credit unions in the last omnibus bill. There may be mistakes in this bill that we will not see because we did not have the opportunity to examine it properly. It is completely disgraceful. Clearly, we are against this. What is even more disgraceful is that, because of the Senate scandal, the media are not focusing on Bill C-4 and so Canadians will not be properly informed of the changes that are being made.

[Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2, October 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question and comments.

In the Speech from the Throne, the government took up several NDP causes, including protecting consumers' rights.

We look forward to seeing how this will play out. However, there really is nothing in this bill that will help consumers. Not that long ago, they rejected outright many of our proposals to help consumers. I look forward to seeing what they think of them now and what they will do to help consumers.

The committee looked at the issue of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. There are several problems with the board, notably a lack of procedural fairness. Many of the people who sit on the board—there are currently 24 or 25 people—have no knowledge of health and safety and no military knowledge. They are qualified because they are friends of the regime in power and the Conservatives. They were placed there. However, they have no military or medical knowledge, yet they must make decisions about problems that veterans are having in getting Veterans Affairs Canada to reverse its decisions. It is completely absurd. That is why we want to replace this board.