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Results: 1 - 15 of 723
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Mr. Minister, ladies, thank you for being with us. I will start by letting you know where I stand. To the extent I can, I try to focus on young people with post-traumatic stress disorder; I have choose to call it a psychological wound. I feel that it is just as much a wound as a bullet to the shoulder or the loss of a leg, except that the injury is to the mind.
Do you have percentages, or statistics, showing how many veterans suffer from psychological wounds?
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
I assume that, like us, you have professionals, like psychologists and psychiatrists, who research and study the topic. Here, fortunately, we have Ste. Anne's Hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, a veterans' hospital specializing in psychological wounds; it does wonderful work. But we still have a long way to go before we get to a perfect solution. In your remarks, however, you said that you tend to keep your veterans in their homes, in familiar surroundings, for as long as possible to give them the best chance at recovery. This is an approach that seems to be gaining ground in Canada, but I have reservations, fears perhaps, about how we are going to find the professionals to provide the necessary assistance. These people have to be trained. Are they going to receive adequate training in military psychology? These things worry me; I do not know if they worry you too. If so, do have you any insights you can share with us?
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
I am getting to the end because I just have two minutes left. I agree that we have to keep them at home as long as possible. But, on the other hand, they absolutely have to have family support. That may be difficult because, in most cases, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters do not know the nature and the symptoms of the wound. So you almost have to educate the entire family or the entire circle of friends in order to provide adequate assistance. That is what concerns me.
You can comment or not, but those are my concerns, and I like to speak from the heart.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Mr. Chair, I will be brief, because we have a vote at about 5:30 p.m. and I want to give the others a chance to ask a question.
Do you have a lot of veterans' organizations, like we do in Canada? We have veterans from Korea, from the first Gulf War, from peacekeeping operations, and so on. We must have fifty or so. In my opinion, they are fragmented, whereas they should be coming together to gain strength in numbers and get all the assistance they can.
Could you tell us if you have the same situation?
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
When people leave the regular army and return to civilian life, does your Ministry of National Defence provide all the information on programs that veterans can receive, or do they just have to fend for themselves? That was the case here in Canada, but it seems to be getting better. There is supposed to be a kind of association, a way in which Veterans Affairs and National Defence work together. How is your system better? What in your system do you feel works well?
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
How can one possibly broach this subject without being too hurtful or without baring one's soul?. I think of Ms. Migneault seated where you are and crying her heart out over the problems she must live with every day. I think of Louise Richard who felt comfortable enough to share with us her experiences. I was touched by what she said. I think of the young military members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and from psychological wounds who shared their stories with us one evening over refreshments at an informal gathering of some thirty people. When I think of all these people, I sincerely believe that this is a worthwhile initiative.
We are not here to look out for the welfare of those veterans who unfortunately are no longer with us. We are here to look out for the welfare of those who are living, Mr. Speaker. I do hope -- and I will be blunt -- that your decision is not based on a desire to reserve this room for the sole use of the whips and leaders committee. I hope that is not the case, Mr. Speaker, otherwise I would be angry.
Mr. Speaker, this room must be renamed the Veterans Room and be decorated accordingly so that young people feel at home here in Parliament.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Mr. Speaker, we all respect your position. However, I am confident that I would have the committee's unanimous support to invite you here to the official opening of the Veterans Room.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Ms. O'Brien, Mr. Speaker, I believe you have never attended a meeting of veterans, particularly of young veterans. These young veterans who have lost an arm or a leg or who have psychological problems, are no longer fit for active duty. The forces have rejected them and have no further use for them. These young people who are 20, 22 and 24 years old are fighting to receive services and they feel like they have been rejected by Veterans Affairs and by the politicians who are not doing their job.
For several years now, Betty, Roger and I have been working to make progress in certain areas and reach out to these veterans. For example, there was no talking to Louise Richard initially. However, she has started to come around and to enjoy attending meetings of the veterans affairs committee.
It is extremely important, Madam, to dedicate a room to veterans, for their welfare, their healing and their reintegration into society. The committee heard from some psychologists who told us that it was critically important to reach out to veterans. This is one way for us to do that. I never thought that I would need to argue my point so strongly, but I believe in this initiative and I feel very deeply for these young veterans.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Good morning, lieutenant-colonel. I appreciate your French, which is remarkable.
To start with, I would like to deal with something that bothers me somewhat. You talked about a period of 9 to 20 months service for conscripts, and I wondered why young women were not admitted, given that for women, the minimum service period is two years?
On another subject, if I understood correctly, insurance companies are paying the cost of health care services provided to injured soldiers, and you are responsible for paying the full cost of insurance premiums. I hope that your insurance companies are not functioning the same as those in Canada, because in the case of the later, the higher the premium, the less compensation is paid up.
Should we worry about the service that is provided to these people?
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
In am enormously intrigued and interested by another matter, that is the situation of young people who are coming back from a theatre of operations and who are suffering from what I call a psychological injury or the post-traumatic stress syndrome. In view of your experience in Afghanistan, in Kosovo and in Congo, among others, I would like you to tell me whether some of your young recruits coming back home are suffering from the post-traumatic stress syndrome and, if so, what care you are providing them.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
You could call it a psychological wound, une blessure psychologique.
View Gilles-A. Perron Profile
BQ (QC)
Even if we are smiling, that does not mean that we are not serious, my dear friend.
I am now addressing the military man rather than the veteran. I know that our young soldiers, when they are joining the armed forces, receive some training on the nefarious effects on alcohol abuse, drug use and sexual harassment. We are just beginning to include in their training some information on the post-traumatic stress and the nefarious effects it can have. For example, before the last deployment of the Royal 22e Régiment from Quebec City in Afghanistan, soldiers had only a two and a half hour course.
Do you have the same system?
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