NDVA Committee Report

The Sub-Committee on Veterans Affairs undertook its study of long-term care for veterans in late 2001. In the months that followed, there were constant reminders of the sacrifices and exploits of the men and women who defended freedom and democracy during two world wars and the Korean War. For example, the sixtieth anniversary of the Dieppe Raid and the eighty-fifth anniversary of the Battle at Vimy Ridge were commemorated in 2002 while May 2003 featured the sixtieth anniversary of the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic and of the Dambuster Raid. Other major commemorations in 2003 include the eighty-fifth anniversary of the First World War Armistice and the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. The string of major remembrance ceremonies will not end there because 2004 will be the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. While honouring the memory of those who died in battle, the commemoration of these and other major events in our history also remind us of the valour of those who returned from wartime service and who are now elderly and frail.

Many of these war service veterans now need long-term care. The network of veterans long-term care facilities established across Canada over the last decades is providing care to a large number of them. Like the rest of Canada’s health care system, these facilities are trying to meet the needs of the elderly while grappling with the financial restraints of the day. Veterans and their families as well as veterans groups and other Canadians have been concerned about the effects of the crisis in the Canadian health care system on the long-term care provided to veterans. Some veterans are uncertain if they will have access to long-term care when they will need it. Measures have been taken in recent years to address problems identified by veterans groups and previous parliamentary reports, but concerns persist about conditions in veterans long-term care facilities and their ability to meet the needs of veterans. This is why the Sub-Committee decided to undertake a study on veterans long-term care. There are many other issues of concern including the needs of younger veterans who have served Canada so well in peacekeeping and other operations since the Korean War. These issues may likely be the subjects of future studies, but for now, the situation in the veterans long-term care facilities was our primary concern.

During the examination of the situation, we benefited greatly from the presentations made by representatives of the Royal Canadian Legion, the National Council of Veterans Associations in Canada, and the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada. Their concern for the well-being of all our veterans was clearly evident and their suggestions for improvements greatly assisted us in identifying the problems to be fixed. We were also able to count on the detailed explanations of issues by representatives of Veterans Affairs Canada and salute their efforts to correct the problems that we and others pointed out. Indeed, a few problems were dealt with during the study with positive results and recently announced measures will provide veterans with some increased services we strongly support, such as the extension of the Veterans Independence Program benefits beyond one year for spouses of veterans. Our study also benefited from information provided by provincial health care authorities and from the testimony provided by witnesses from other government departments and by experts who explained the complexities of caring for the elderly and home care.

However, our study would have been incomplete without visits to veterans long-term care facilities across the country. These visits allowed the Sub-Committee members to see for themselves the conditions in the facilities and to hear the views of veterans. We wish to thank the staff and administrators of all the facilities we visited as well as regional and provincial authorities and Veterans Affairs Canada representatives who helped to facilitate our visits. The presentations made by the staff and administrators and the frank exchange of views were of great value in the preparation of this study. While some of our comments may be critical of conditions or issues we encountered, we have no reason to question the dedication of the staff and administrators of the facilities we visited to the care of our veterans.

Finally, on behalf of the members of the Sub-Committee, I wish to thank the Clerk of the Sub-Committee, Diane Deschamps, and the researchers from the Parliamentary Research Branch of the Library of Parliament, Michel Rossignol and Wolf Koerner, as well as Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Barry Hamilton, consultant, who assisted the Sub-Committee notably during the visits to facilities in Western Canada.

Bob Wood, M.P.