Record of Discussion – 21 July 2022

July 21, 2022
13:30-15:00 (ET)

In Attendance

Service Excellence and Transition Advisory Group Members

  • Captain (Retired) Kimberley Newman
  • Corporal (Retired) Sylvain Chartrand, Canadian Veterans Advocacy
  • Dr. Darryl Cathcart
  • Deanna Fimrite, Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada
  • Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Dave Byrne
  • Master Warrant Officer (Retired) Michael Hogan
  • Warrant Officer (Retired) Jessica Hewett

Regrets

  • Amanda DiFalco, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness
  • Steve Graham, RCMP Veterans’ Association
  • Corporal (Retired) Bruce Moncur
  • Lieutenant (Retired) Carolyn Hughes, Royal Canadian Legion
  • Master Corporal (Retired) Joseph Burke

Canadian Armed Forces Representative

  • Lieutenant-Colonel Sean McDowell, Canadian Armed Forces Liaison Officer to Veterans Affairs Canada

Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs

  • Michael Ferguson, Senior Special Assistant, Atlantic, Minister’s Office

Veterans Affairs Canada Officials

  • Steven Harris, Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery Branch
  • Trudie Mackinnon, A/Director General, Centralized Operations Division (Co-chair)
  • Samuel Duguay, Project Officer, Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach, Communications Division

Observer

  • Laura Kelly, Office of the Veterans Ombudsman

Opening Remarks

(Members of all six Ministerial Advisory Groups met in plenary and the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs brought greetings. Members were then transferred to the meeting of the Service Excellence Advisory Group.)

  • The Acting Director General, Communications welcomed the participants to the virtual meeting and introduced the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs.
  • The Deputy Minister welcomed the members and acknowledged that the land from which he was speaking is unceded Mi’kmaq territory he also acknowledged the ancestral and unceded territory of all Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people and took a moment to recognize the importance of these lands that we all call home.
  • He spoke to the renewal of the advisory groups that was launched in 2021 and the great response with over 125 applications. He indicated that there was a greater focus on diversity and that today we kick off a new series of meetings with 33 new members and many members that are continuing.
  • The Deputy spoke to the goals of the six Ministerial Advisory Groups and highlighted the focus on Veterans and their families. He reinforced the members roles and responsibilities to provide advice, insight, and recommendations to the Minister of Veterans Affairs. He also indicated that the Minister is looking forward to gathering with the members in the fall.
  • He noted the importance of hearing from the members and the community in order to understand the issues and areas where we need to improve. He talked about how the advice from the advisory groups has influenced many significant Government of Canada initiatives, including improvements in service delivery, mental health supports, supports for families and survivors, and reduced complexity in accessing benefits.
  • He thanked everyone for their participation.
  • The VAC Co-chairs were introduced and the members were transferred to their individual advisory group meeting.

Service Excellence Advisory Group

Roundtable Introductions

  • The VAC Co-chair, welcomed members, introduced herself as the new VAC Co-chair, and introduced the Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery.
  • The Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery welcomed the members. As the former Co-chair, he spoke to the value of the Service Excellence and Transition Advisory Group and highlighted success stories as a result of member recommendations. He also emphasized that he is looking forward to working with the advisory groups and appreciates everyone’s participation.
  • The VAC Co-chair set the stage for the meeting and opened the round table introduction.
  • Each member introduced themselves and provided brief background information.

Review of the Terms of Reference

  • The VAC Co-chair lead the review of the Terms of Reference, which were sent to members in advance, and highlighted the following key elements:
    • Mandate
    • Role and expectations
    • Code of Conduct
    • Requirement for a confidentiality agreement as per updates made by the OMVA in the spring of 2021
    • Quorum for making decisions as a committee
    • Conflict of interest
    • Selection of a member Co-chair (timing and transition period)
  • The VAC Co-chair opened the floor for questions and feedback.

Forward Agenda

  • The VAC Co-chair opened the floor for a discussion around potential forward agenda items of focus.
  • VAC Co-chair proposed a review of outstanding committee recommendations at the September mtg.
  • Member recommended a discussion on how we can improve access/promote services available in the community to Veterans.
  • Member recommended addressing ways to help Veterans setup their My VAC Account, including the possibility of having terminals available at area offices to get guidance in using new technologies.
    • VAC Co-chair mentioned possible issues working with sensitive information but agrees it is worth exploring options to help Veterans gain access.

Discussion

  • Member requested statistics on transition to help make informed decisions.
    • VAC Co-chair confirmed that the stats are available in house and committed to share with the group.
  • Member highlighted the release of Statistic Canada’s Census reports and expressed concerns with lack of data on transition.
    • VAC Co-chair spoke to the department’s collaboration with Stats Can in the development of questions and confirmed that VAC is still reviewing the new data. The VAC Co-chair committed to share the link to the reports with members. The link was also shared in the chat.
  • Member requested statistics on Case Manager workload.
    • VAC Co-chair committed to sharing statistics with the group.
  • Member requested information on the Seamless Transition Taskforce and the plan for the updated transition process.
  • Member highlighted the VAC Facts and Figures books as a reference for the group.
    • VAC Co-chair committed to sharing the link with members. The link was also shared in the chat.
  • Member asked about office reopening and in-person appointments for Veterans.
    • VAC Co-chair confirmed that as of July 18th, the Department has started seeing Veterans in person by appointment.
  • Member asked about housing for Veterans after releasing from the military.
    • VAC Co-chair underscored that VAC does not provide housing but will work with Veterans through case managers to access local services in the communities they are releasing to. Co-chair also highlighted the Veteran Emergency Fund that can be used to help homeless/at risk of homelessness temporary funding.

Next Step and Closing Remarks

  • The next meeting will take place in mid-late September with date TBC once the Minister’s availability is confirmed. Date to be shared ASAP to accommodate busy Fall schedules.
  • The VAC Co-chair highlighted the two-year mandate period for Co-chairs and committed to review the process, including the application and selection process, in more detail during the September meeting.
  • The Co-chair noted that future meetings will be virtual or in-person depending on pandemic restrictions and health measures in place. Noted that the Department will work with members to organize and pay for their travel/expenses as per the Treasury Board guidelines and also to coordinate other details.
  • The VAC Co-chair thanked everyone for their recommendations and contributions and encouraged members to reach out with any feedback before the next meeting anticipated for September.
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