February 28, 2011

Government’s Promised Veterans’ Health Care Review Has been Stopped

Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe recently learned that the Health Care Review that was promised to veterans and their families by the Harper Government has been quietly stopped, and that as a result, veterans are being denied any benefits that were recommended by the Review.

“This is another in a long list of unfilled and broken promises to veterans,” said Downe.

In 2005, the Conservatives promised they would undertake a “complete review of veterans’ health care services to ensure they meet the needs of our veterans”

Once in office, they boasted it represented “one of the most extensive health services reviews ever undertaken at Veterans Affairs”. Such promises could not help but raise the hopes of veterans and their families.

On March 5th, 2008, then Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompson appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs and had this exchange with Senator Downe:

Senator Downe: Thank you, minister, for your detailed presentation; however, I am concerned about two omissions. First, could you update the committee on the veterans health service review? Officials from your department appeared before this committee last year and said that the department was close to providing options to your government. Could you give us an update on that review?

Mr. Thompson: The review is pretty well completed. It is going to provide us with a way forward in terms of how we provide services to our veterans. We would like to move to a needs-based system as opposed to an entitlements-based one.

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This is something we will continue to move forward on, but some of what we are doing today is a result of that work. It is not something I have to point to in the future that we will do; it is happening today.

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Senator Downe: As I understood last year from departmental officials when they appeared before our committee, they were going to make recommendations to the government. Have those recommendations been received?

Mr. Thompson: I am aware of most of them. It goes back to my previous answer in terms of knowing those recommendations and moving internally within the department to recognize some of them.

That was the last time a Minister of Veterans Affairs has commented publically about the Veterans Health Services Review.

Three years later, the review has all but disappeared from the Veterans Affairs website, and when Downe filed an Access to Information Request to check on the status of the Review, he was advised it was “Protected Information”. So not only can you not find any information about it, veterans are still being denied any improved benefits from the review.

This is another example of the Government refusing to follow the advice of Veterans Affairs employees to improve benefits for veterans and their families.

For further information:
Senator Percy Downe: 613-943-8107
Or toll free at 1-800-267-7362   
www.sen.parl.gc.ca/pdowne