:
Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
[Translation]
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
[English]
I want to begin by thanking you for your invitation to appear again today and to bring additional insight about services for military families.
In particular, I want to thank you for your interest in regard to military families in the work you do as members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.
[Translation]
As the Director of Military Family Services, a division of the larger Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services which falls under Chief Military Personnel, I am responsible for ensuring that the Canadian military family community is well supported and that military families specifically are able to lead positive, nurturing family lives comparable to other Canadian families.
On November 5, 2013, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces' Ombudsman released a report entitled On the Home front: Assessing the Well-Being of Canada's Military Families in the New Millennium. The report noted that three aspects of the military life style—recurring geographic relocations, relentless separation and elevated levels of risk—make military families appreciably different from other Canadian families.
[English]
Today, 80% of military families live off base, as opposed to that same number living on base several years ago. This brings a host of new realities for families as they attempt to integrate themselves into new communities every few years, from posting to posting. Where families might have once relied on a close-knit community on base, they now rely on their civilian communities far more.
The mobility inherent to the military lifestyle also prevents many Canadian military families from accessing primary health care resources and related support services. l'm happy to tell you that as a result of two years of behind-the-scenes work with provincial-territorial governments, we were successful in having them waive the 90-day wait period for provincial health insurance for military families.
Further, military families are also largely made up of dual income earners, which has a significant impact for families when relocating. Employment continuity, career progression, credential transferability between provinces, and income stability are issues that arise for military spouses and their families.
[Translation]
However, what is omnipresent for us at this time is also the fact that we have military personnel currently facing physical and mental health stresses and injuries following operations, including the past mission in Afghanistan. While mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at sometime through a family member, friend or colleague, the stresses inherent within the military lifestyle can in many cases weigh particularly heavily on military families.
With spouses, parent, children and other family members who are often the ones to experience, first hand, signs of the mental illness in their loved ones, we need to make sure that the families standing with them are resilient and strong and that the Military Family Services Program is responsive and agile in meeting their needs.
[English]
That said, however, only when we consider families as the first and most important partners in the work we do can we truly achieve success in supporting families. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian armed forces are deeply committed to supporting families. Through military family services, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian armed forces provide support and resources to families either in person, at military family resource centres, by phone through the family information line, and online at www.familyforce.ca.
One of the most significant milestones achieved this year by the military family services team was the expansion of the family information line service to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in order to always serve military families. Building on a legacy that was founded in 1992, known as the mission information line, the family information line's expansion of confidential, bilingual services 24/7, by trained counsellors, is already making a real difference for families who can now access services any time day or night.
Questions range from how to find information about policies and procedures, which services are available in the communities they live in, to how to resolve a family crisis, to name a few examples.
The Canadian Forces member assistance program is also available 24 hours a day for members and their families, with referral to a counsellor within 24 hours.
Support to families following the illness, injury, or death of a Canadian armed forces member has evolved over the past several years, and the difficult experiences of families have influenced our approach in reaching out to families of the ill, injured, and fallen. The Canadian armed forces acknowledges that families' needs may continue to grow over time and that no two families will experience their recovery or grief in the same way.
In 2011 we put in place family liaison officers who are trained social workers, and embedded them into each integrated personnel support centre to be an integral part of the caregiving team. Family liaison officers are employed by military family resource centres and remain an important way of offering mental health support to families who need it. A total of 33 family liaison officers provide counselling and support to families, to assist them in dealing with a range of issues including their loved one's operational stress injury, transition difficulties, anxiety, and depression. From April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, some 1,680 families were served by family liaison officers. This approach is absolutely essential and integrated into the integrated personnel support centres' approach.
Along with access to family liaison officers, families can also access a multitude of resources and programs at their local military family resource centres, in their communities, their base chaplains, the family information line, the Canadian Forces member assistance program, and the public service health care plan. Ensuring consistency of services for families, regardless of where they might be posted, is of critical importance to us. In fact, we are currently holding the fourth annual training session this week for all family liaison officers, mental health providers, and other caring professionals, to enhance the availability and quality of mental health services at military family resource centres in direct support of military families.
At military family services, our commitment is to increase our communications efforts to ensure that families are well informed of the services available to them so they never have to wonder where they should go to get the support they need. At military family services, we have expanded our communications approach from relying solely on military family resource centres as our primary means of communicating directly with families, to more recently communicating with them through social media, advertising, and partnering with publications like Canadian Military Family Magazine.
[Translation]
The Canadian Armed Forces remain committed to ensuring that our men and women in uniform and their families receive the care, services and support they need, because they should fully benefit from the same lifestyle options as other Canadian families. Research has proven that supporting military families insures an operationally-ready force, which is to the benefit of all Canadian citizens.
Honourable members of the committee, ladies and gentlemen, I could go on for much longer, but I realize that my time is up. I would be pleased to respond to any questions or comments you may have for me at this point. Once again, I want to thank you for the time you have allocated to me today, and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the study.
Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, l am very pleased to have the opportunity to appear before you once again to respond to questions pertaining to the care of ill and injured Canadian armed forces personnel and the various forms of transition assistance provided to military personnel. The joint personnel support unit is dedicated to providing standardized, high quality, consistent personal and administrative support to ill and injured Canadian armed forces members, former members, their families, and families of the deceased, with the assistance of partner organizations. The support provided encompasses all areas other than medical care, which is the purview of the Canadian Forces health services. The director of casualty support management is responsible for the development, promulgation, and continuous improvement of programs and policies delivered by the joint personnel support unit.
When a Canadian armed forces member is seriously injured or suffers an illness to the extent that they will be away from their normal duties for a considerable period of time, they typically go through three phases: recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
[Translation]
Recovery is the period of treatment and convalescence during which patients transition from initial onset of illness or injury to the point where they are stable and ready to receive longer-term medical care and optimize their functional capacity in many aspects of their life, vocational, social, and mobility.
Rehabilitation is an active process designed to optimize functional outcomes following injury or illness in order to regain maximum self-efficiency. Rehabilitation can take various forms such as physical, mental and vocational.
Reintegration is the transition to either progressively returning the ill or injured Canadian forces members to a normal work schedule and workload in the Regular Force or Primary Reserves, transition to the Cadet Organization or Rangers, or preparing for a civilian career and life.
There can be significant overlap between the three faces as ill or injured members move from acute recovery to longer-term clinical, physical, mental and vocational rehabilitative support, and often simultaneously prepare to reintegrate. The medical care provided to Canadian Armed Forces personnel is outstanding, timely and comprehensive. The provision of non-medical care and support is extremely complex. The three Rs are anchored to the principle of universality of service. The minimum operational standards associated with this principle include the requirements to be physically fit, employable without significant limitations, and deployable for operational duties.
[English]
The term transition does not strictly apply to release from the Canadian armed forces. The primary goal of the armed forces is to return as many ill and injured serving personnel as possible to full duties. In fact, since the stand-up of the joint personnel support unit in 2009, 1,291 personnel posted to the unit successfully completed a return to work program and as a result returned to full military duties. This return can occur in the individual's own occupation or, depending on the extent of their recovery, in a new occupation. In those cases in which it is determined that employment limitations are such that the person cannot meet the parameters of universality of service, they will transition out of the Canadian armed forces and into the care of Veterans Affairs Canada.
As soon as a medical officer determines that the ill or injured person can begin to reintegrate, a return to work plan is developed by the return to work coordinator in conjunction with the individual and their commanding officer. The plan is blessed by the medical officer, and the individual then begins employment. The intensity and complexity of their assigned tasks increases as the member's condition continues to improve.
The ultimate aim is to return the person to full duties. This step is vital, as the individual gains therapeutic, psychological, and social benefits from the return and may actually fully recover more quickly. There are currently more than 900 members of the joint personnel support unit participating in a return to work program.
In addition to the return to work program, there are numerous programs and services available to assist in meeting the needs of our ill and injured, including home modification, vehicle modification, peer support for those suffering from operational stress injuries and for their families, disability compensation for members of the reserve force, and a number of other programs.
[Translation]
For those who are unable to continue to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, there are a number of programs in place to assist them in returning to gainful employment in the public service or the private sector. Among those are Priority Hiring in the Public Service, Vocational Rehabilitation and Training through the Service Income Security Insurance Plan which includes income support, the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Assistance Program which links those leaving for medical reasons to private sector employers, and programs offered by Veterans Affairs Canada. The private sector has embraced the armed forces and the list of initiatives in which we are jointly involved is impressive including the Military Employment Transition Program which will offer 10,000 jobs to those leaving the armed forces in the next 10 years, a week-long university level course for those looking to launch their own businesses, reduced franchise fees with numerous franchisers, agreements with trade unions, and others.
[English]
The stand-up of the joint personnel support unit and its 24 integrated personnel support centres, in which Veterans Affairs Canada is co-located, has greatly facilitated the completion of a seamless transition. Staff from both departments begin to work hand-in-hand on the transition six months prior to the member's departure. For those who will be leaving with complex transition needs, an integrated transition plan is prepared. The preparation of this comprehensive plan includes the serving member along with a wide array of service providers. The plan ensures that needs in the areas of medical care, education, post-release employment, and Veterans Affairs support are addressed.
Once the process is completed, the individual signs the plan to indicate his agreement or indicates why he feels that the plan may not be suitable. There have been very limited instances in which this has been the case. However, when it does occur, a review is conducted, and every attempt within the art of the possible is made to address the member's concerns. Based on the recommendations contained in the integrated transition plan, an individual may be retained for from six months to three years in order to ensure a successful transition.
l am extremely proud of the outstanding dedication demonstrated by the military and civilian staff of the joint personnel support unit. Without fail, their goal is to ensure the well-being of the ill and injured. The numerous letters, emails, and telephone calls of appreciation, as well as a client satisfaction rate in excess of 90% expressed through surveys by those leaving the unit to return to military duty or to civilian life, clearly demonstrate that the unit is achieving its goals.
[Translation]
Our systems may not be perfect and we will continue to strive to improve them with input from injured and ill personnel. The care of the ill and injured, including their successful transition remains one of my, and the Canadian Armed Forces', highest priorities and we continue to examine opportunities to improve and to work in collaboration with public agencies and the private sector to assist those who ultimately leave the Canadian Forces.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The second question is related to family services and the family covenant that the forces has issued. It contains very noble words. I'll read part of it. It says:
We honour the inherent resilience of families and we pay tribute to the sacrifices of families made in support of Canada. We pledge to work in partnership with the families and the communities in which they live. We commit to enhancing military life.
As I say, these are great words. There's a question of, as I think the ombudsman put it, the meat on the bone. There needs to be detail.
I'm only struck by this because we visited Petawawa recently, and one couple struck me as being very sincere and concerned about their own future. He was suffering from PTSD, but the spouse complained that it took four years for her to get counselling to even help to understand what her husband was going through so that she could help him. She said they almost lost their marriage, that she didn't understand what was happening, that she was in need of this service, that she had asked for it a number of times, but that it took four years.
I'm not trying to set this up as though everybody is like that, but how could this possibly be, in a situation in which it is recognized that these operational stress injuries could best be treated through families? How can it be? Can either of you help me understand how that could be?
:
I think I can speak to that, sir.
First, I think it's important to understand that there is no silver bullet when it comes to mental health. Also, we're dealing with two systems of care here: the federal spectrum of care, which treats the member, and the provincial spectrum of care, which supports our families.
It may or may not be known to the honourable members that families do not go to bases for health care. Families are not able to go to bases for their mental health needs. They rely on the provinces to provide care, just as they provide care for other Canadians. That's an important difference from some of our allies, perhaps, but those are the cards dealt to our families in navigating the military lifestyle. One of the things that we have done is actively engage with the health and mental health communities to try to help them understand that, because oftentimes the caregivers in communities are not appreciative of the fact that our families can't simply go to a base to get care.
We also responded with internal programming. It was our surgeon general who led the charge on the road to mental readiness program, which helps families deal with mental stresses before, during, and after deployment. Although that's a very new and innovative product that may not have been an option at the time that the particular family you cite, sir, would have been seeking the help, it is there today. I'm happy to report that we have a working group in this calendar year that is engaged in developing unique family elements of the road to mental readiness program to build on the initial launch that was led by the director of mental health.
In addition, we put $27 million every year directly into family resource centres, which can help people access—
:
It's a very pertinent question. I just spent Sunday with all of the army command teams from the reserve communities across the country, helping to do just that, to reach out to help them understand what is available to their members and families, particularly to their families. I was quick to point out that one dimension that's very important with reserves, particularly young reserves, is the parents, and making sure the parents have access to good information.
That's where our family information line is a key connector. We have family resource centres that serve our reserve communities admirably—places like London, places like Calgary, places like Vancouver, where we do not have a military base but we have a family resource centre that's serving reservists in their communities. We have reserve outreach, which occurs from every MFRC across the country.
We also have recently launched, at a level above my level and Gerry's, morale and welfare services, deeply committed to connecting with reserves. We've started with Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Since January we've reached more than 2,000 reservists in their communities, in their armouries, at their units. We've brought the services to the units and the command teams so they can get information, and in the case of the family, bring that back to their families. We had family information line representatives there. We had SISIP representatives there who could talk about financial education. We had Bank of Montreal there for Canadian community defence banking. We had a host of supports that could help the reserves better understand what services are available to them. Because they are part time and they have limited time available to become informed, we decided to concentrate that and reach out to the community.
It has received excellent feedback. We have had measurable changes in the use of services through that outreach. For me it's nothing but inspiring and encouraging to know that we are starting to get the word out. We need to continue this outreach in order to get to Calgary, to get to London, to get to the satellite offices of the London MFRC in Windsor and Hamilton, where we know reserves will only have one point of contact, because there is no other necessarily military presence other than the recruiting centre.
So we are working very actively to serve reservists, as we serve regular. The difference comes from the conditions of service. The ombudsman, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, highlights three. Two of those deeply affect reserves and three of them affect the regular force community. The factor that's less prevalent for reserves is mobility. Deployment and absence are very much real factors for their families. The risk that I referred to is very much a factor for their families, and we are doing everything we can to get the word to them.
The other factor that makes it an extra challenge for me in my role in family services is connecting with the families. The reserve population is more fluctuating, with people entering and leaving with more rapidity than the regular force. It's sometimes hard to keep up with where they are and how I can get in touch with their family.
Does that help, sir?
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm going to ask some very pointed questions, because the purpose of this study is to get to the bottom of the problems and make recommendations.
As Colonel Mann mentioned, military families rely on the civilian community. People in towns such as Petawawa take the care of soldiers and their families very seriously. This is evident by the generosity of the local businesses and individuals to particularly the Petawawa family resource centre.
My questions relate specifically to OSIs suffered by Canadian armed forces members and the consequences of seeking treatment. Our committee has been told that soldiers who obtain treatment for OSIs, including PTSD, are treated without negative impacts to their careers, yet we hear repeatedly in the House of Commons—in the chamber during question period, for example—that getting treatment for an operational stress injury is a career terminator. We also hear unhelpful comments from the opposition, even the Liberals saying that PTSD is all in their heads.
Please explain to me why some soldiers are told at their very first appointment in seeking treatment for an OSI that it's likely they'll be medically released in three years. Why is that the experience of some soldiers, whereas others are able to be successfully treated, and continue on, and grow in their careers?
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I thank the witnesses for their presentation and I thank them for being here with us once again. I would like to continue the discussion we began here during various interventions.
The Valcartier military base is in my riding. As we know, a lot of people are coming back from Afghanistan. A lot of soldiers have come to my office. They were released or had asked for a time out within the Armed Forces. Unfortunately, they were released against their will, following a release process that included a deadline they found too short.
Everyone knows that post-traumatic stress syndrome can require very long treatment. Even if you avail yourself of services quite early on, it is a very long process. It may involve among other things, medication, psychological consultations, or different types of therapy. The process is very long. In my opinion, that is one of the things that contributes to the perception the military have that they are going to be released if they seek help. Quite honestly, I must say that if one looks at the figures provided by the ombudsman, military personnel are correct to fear that.
Do you think that the deadlines in the current process for members who return from combat experience are sufficiently long? Does this really allow soldiers to get back on their feet? Do you think that the process that is in place could actually hinder the reintegration of certain soldiers?
I've got some questions for Colonel Blais.
The context of this, of course, is the some 13.2% of the total deployed to Afghanistan who were predicted to suffer from OSI or PTSD, according to the department's Report on Cumulative Incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Mental Disorders, a sample that took place of people deployed from 2001 to 2008.
With the JPSU, I'm going to just lay out a set of questions, if you don't mind.
How many forces members are currently posted to the JPSU? Do you have numbers for what you anticipate will come forward for posting over the coming three years? What are the number of service providers currently employed? I know that management, administration, and logistical support are also important, but I just want the number for service providers directly dealing with people being posted.
There were staffing shortages that we are aware of. In terms of those staffing shortages how many medical professionals have been hired since the hiring freeze was lifted last fall? Would you recommend increasing the number of service providers, given the estimate of need for the JPSU, if increased budget were available to you? In other words, is budget a constraint? I'm not just talking about medical, I'm talking about service providers.
Lastly, the fall report from the Auditor General of Canada recommended improvements to performance measuring and reporting by the JPSU and the IPSCs. Have you implemented that recommendation? If not yet, how do you plan to move forward and do that?
I'm trying to get a handle on what's going on with the JPSU.
On staffing shortages, when you mentioned the medical health service providers, they don't work for me, they work for the surgeon general. Again, unfortunately, we will have to take that question under advisement to get those numbers for you.
As far as staffing of the JPSU is concerned, when the problem was announced in the media back in July, at that point we were basically at an apex of a number of policies that were implemented at the same time. What the policy was before for reservists hired in the unit was that you could receive your superannuation pension that you received as a regular forces person, become a reservist, and work as a reservist and continue to draw that pension. That policy was changed. As a result, a number of people decided that they didn't want to work under those conditions. There was a shortage for a time. We've received exemptions to that policy to a certain degree so that we've been able to backfill those positions. We've also got ongoing competitions to fill the few military positions. If I remember correctly, there are only about 10 in the entire unit that are vacant at the moment.
As far as civilian staff are concerned, again, there were hiring freezes in place. We did receive authority from the deputy minister. The freeze does not apply to the JPSU, so as soon as we have vacancies we can run competitions to fill them.
Now, at the moment, we've got about 25 vacancies, both military and civilian combined, but that's just through the normal flow of things. When someone leaves, we still have to follow competitive processes to hire, so there's a little bit of lag on that. But we don't have an issue in hiring. As I said, there are a number of studies ongoing to see what the optimum number of service providers is. It's being followed very closely. I know that the chief of personnel personally holds this to heart and has assured us that we're going to get the people we need to do the job.