Juno News - December 05, 2022


Conservative MP slams Veterans Affairs minister over assisted suicide reports


Episode Stats

Length

7 minutes

Words per Minute

172.4062

Word Count

1,305

Sentence Count

4


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Minister I want to get to some of the details of the of the contract in a moment but first you know
00:00:07.980 last time you were before this committee you were discussing medical assistance in dying
00:00:13.340 and you indicated to us that there were four four veterans who had had this issue raised with them
00:00:20.220 by one particular caseworker and that had been referred to the RCMP. Since that time I know I'm
00:00:27.300 certainly now aware of at least eight veterans who have had this occur and and there has been at
00:00:36.120 least three additional case managers or or service agents involved in this so we're at a situation
00:00:44.760 where we've got eight veterans and probably as many as four case workers and that includes Bruce who I
00:00:55.680 mentioned to you last time as well as the one that obviously was raised in last Thursday's meeting
00:01:01.620 and has been in the media quite extensively since and that's the case of Christine Gauthier who's in
00:01:06.720 a wheelchair because of injuries she suffered serving this country and has been fighting with
00:01:11.640 Veterans Affairs for five years to try to get a lift put in her house and as she said she's told
00:01:19.920 this has been fought by Veterans Affairs every step of the way she she puts it well she said Veterans
00:01:26.340 Affairs will won't help her to live her life but they have offered to help her die that is a statement
00:01:36.780 that just hits hits everyone I think that hears it and it's it's something we should all be concerned
00:01:42.060 about now she wrote to you about that back in July of 2021 and at that point in time you were aware of
00:01:51.880 this and did nothing until August of 2022 when another veterans case hit the media can you tell us
00:02:00.000 Minister why did you do nothing from July of 2021 onwards and put other veterans lives at risk
00:02:06.000 thank you very much and I first of all Christine and anybody else that's out there that has any
00:02:13.920 difficulty with this or has been involved in this issue we want them to come forward with Christine we
00:02:20.380 want to work with her to make sure we help and provide any service that we can and I in order to help
00:02:26.540 her but I would tell you that we have reviewed our files and what I indicated last week two weeks ago I
00:02:34.380 believe here before the committee I indicated quite clearly that there was there was four cases involving
00:02:41.640 one case manager totally unacceptable totally unacceptable Veterans Affairs does not provide
00:02:48.180 maid services at all but what I can tell you is we have found nobody else that has indicated to
00:02:56.460 we find no information minister to end I just like let me answer the question you ask the question well sure
00:03:03.300 but let me let me interrupt because you're telling me that you still believe that there's only four
00:03:08.200 when we've had Christine Gauthier come forward we've had Bruce come forward and I'm aware of at least a
00:03:12.800 couple of others now I granted they haven't come forward but what we know that a couple of them have
00:03:17.580 administered beyond that in July of 2021 you say you want them to come forward Christine Gauthier
00:03:24.120 came to you in July of 2021 she did come forward and you did nothing do you not see that as a problem
00:03:31.920 I made it quite clearly that in your statement I believe that Christine Gauthier was offered this
00:03:38.800 service I I have to be very careful what I indicated about specific files excuse me but I believe that
00:03:47.700 I would have to ask my deputy to respond I just want to be careful I do not want to affect the
00:03:53.100 investigation what we want to find out it's exactly what happened when it happened and who was involved
00:03:58.620 but I would ask my deputy to respond to that and just before before before that you do that the
00:04:04.000 minister I can appreciate that you you don't want to you know do anything that would cause a harm to
00:04:10.020 the investigation however can you tell us has have you done anything I mean you only you were aware of
00:04:14.940 this case back in July of 2021 clearly didn't pay attention to it but now at least that it's come to
00:04:20.300 light in the media and in this committee since last Thursday have you investigated what happened or done
00:04:25.220 anything to try to investigate what happened in that period of time thank you very much as I indicated
00:04:29.600 previously said the meeting upon hearing this I asked my deputy to conduct an investigation there
00:04:34.940 in doing that I indicated to my I was briefed a couple of weeks ago and I asked my deputy to expand
00:04:41.140 the investigation he has done that it has been referred to the RCMP that has been done what we want
00:04:48.060 to do is make fully sure that anybody that has any difficulty in this way but I think in all fairness
00:04:54.220 we have to let the deputy respond to the to the what you indicated to the committee sure that's what I have
00:05:00.360 done go ahead sure enough just before you do that um yeah no no no minister sure I will uh you know and but
00:05:07.960 you're you're the one responsible and you were this was brought to your attention in July of 2021 and you did
00:05:14.740 nothing for over a year now you're telling us well there's an investigation great that's wonderful and we're glad to see that's
00:05:20.140 happening but you're you keep telling us there's four we know there is more than four and without a doubt
00:05:28.280 you know I'm aware that the the previous case that came in the media that the the agent was involved was
00:05:34.820 is in British Columbia Christine Gauthier is located in Quebec she had indicated to on I heard of her on a podcast
00:05:41.280 this weekend where she indicated she had two separate caseworkers that that both suggested made to her one was male and one was female
00:05:49.280 female so there is more than one caseworker involved here there clearly is so I wonder what you've done
00:05:55.540 to investigate it and can you maybe tell us if whoever's going to answer it uh how many total times
00:06:01.820 has your investigation uncovered that made excuse me excuse me Mr. Richards I'm sorry
00:06:09.460 just to kind of wrap up our previous discussion I mean I think it's fairly clear to see why veterans
00:06:21.160 fail to have trust in and confidence in you and your department when you despite hearing you know that
00:06:31.500 the case of the veteran known as Bruce coming forward and indicating that he was offered medical assistance in
00:06:38.480 dying despite hearing that Christine Gauthier came to this committee and indicated that and indicated
00:06:44.180 that there was two separate agents that offered her medical assistance in dying when she was seeking
00:06:50.320 for help in getting a lift put into her house and then you wonder why veterans don't feel comfortable
00:06:58.520 coming forward when you sit here and tell us we still think there's only four cases despite the fact
00:07:03.160 that you've got veterans who have come forward and in one case came to you as early as 2021 well before
00:07:09.960 this ever made the media and you sit here and continue to tell us oh there's only four and there's
00:07:14.520 only one agent when veterans have clearly indicated that that's not in fact accurate so I really hope
00:07:20.520 Minister that you're going to go away from this meeting and think really long and hard about how you've
00:07:24.840 failed our veterans in this regard and how you're going to have to do better because you've put potentially
00:07:30.200 veterans lives at risk.
00:07:33.160 Thank you.