Soldier care hearings in air
Prorogation stalling progress, NDP says
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s prorogation of Parliament could signal the end of any opportunity to improve the way Canada is caring for its ill and injured soldiers, Opposition Defence critic Jack Harris said Tuesday.
Before breaking for its summer recess, the soon-to-be-dissolved House of Commons Defence Committee was in the midst of hearings into the treatment of mentally and physically injured servicemen and women. It had heard from 40 witnesses.
If the government chooses, it could use its majority after prorogation to end those hearings and produce a report based on evidence it has already heard.
Equally, it could allow the hearings to continue and bring the previous evidence back into the mix.
The Joint Personnel Support Units (JPSU), created almost five years ago to help the ill and injured to either resume military careers or be “transitioned out” into civilian life, have systemic problems that badly need fixing, said Harris in an interview.
“The committee hasn’t got to some of the crucial problems,” he said. “We need to hear more from the people who have actually been through the system because there is an opportunity here to significantly influence some policy decisions and get help for the people who are suffering.”
Military brass who have appeared before the committee haven’t given MPs the whole story, claimed Harris.
“When we hear from the senior people running the programs they paint a rosy picture,” he said. “But when you hear from the people who are actually affected, so many are falling through the cracks. There are structural problems with the whole system.”
The Citizen has reported in recent weeks that the JPSU system is understaffed, with often inadequately trained personnel. In most parts of the country it’s overloaded with ill and injured troopers who are not getting the help they need and, in some cases, getting little help at all.
The situation is badly affecting morale throughout the military, said Harris.
“When people injured in the line of duty are not being treated as they should be, it affects other soldiers,” he said.
Aside from inadequate JPSU staffing, many injured troopers are finding themselves on the street because of the so-called Universality of Service rule — a measure introduced by the Conservative government in 2006 that effectively states that every member of the armed forces has to be physically and mentally fit to fight.
The requirement is unnecessarily forcing skilled people out of the military, often without pensions, said Harris.
“This policy was only brought in by this government,” he said, “but they talk about it like it’s some military doctrine going back centuries. It has to be seriously looked at.”
Another major issue is the loss of skilled, experienced former Forces members who were hired into JPSU as reservists. They have been leaving in droves because of a new Treasury Board policy that forces them to either leave to continue collecting their accrued military pension, or to rejoin the military, continue paying into the pension fund and be paid regular wages.
That often means a loss of income for those choosing to stay and work with the ill and injured soldiers.
The final decision on whether the Defence committee will hear more on the subject will rest with Harper’s office, said Harris.
“If the committee system works after prorogation like it did before, you have a tight control by the Prime Minister’s Office,” he said. “They will try to control any message that comes out of the Defence committee.”
Political influence on the committee is typically wielded by the parliamentary secretary to the minister of Defence, but the position is vacant.
The Citizen was unable to reach the current committee chairman, Conservative MP James Bezan.