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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE

TUESDAY, November 4, 2003

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence

has the honour to table its

EIGHTEENTH REPORT


Your Committee was authorized by the Senate on Thursday, September 18, 2003 to undertake a study on:

(a) the services and benefits provided to veterans of war and peacekeeping missions in recognition of their services to Canada, in particular examining:

- access to priority beds for veterans in community hospitals;
- availability of alternative housing and enhanced home care;
- standardization of services throughout Canada;
- monitoring and accreditation of long term care facilities;

(b) the commemorative activities undertaken by the Department of Veterans Affairs to keep alive for all Canadians the memory of the veterans achievements and sacrifices; and 

(c) the need for an updated Veterans Charter to outline the right to preventative care, family support, treatment and re-establishment benefits.

On September 29, 2003 the Committee referred this matter to its Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs. 

On October 22, 2003, the Subcommittee heard testimony from Mr. Duane Daly, Dominion Secretary, Royal Canada Legion and on October 29, 2003 the Honourable Ray Pagtakhan, Minister of Veterans Affairs appeared before the Subcommittee together with Mr. Jack Stagg, Deputy Minister, Mr. Robert Mercer, Executive Director of Veterans Affairs Canada. 

The focus of the testimony was on the commemorative activities undertaken by the Canada Remembers Program of Veterans Affairs Canada. As the Minister pointed out, this program has three components. The National and International Memorials component is involved in, among other things, the care and maintenance of monuments and battlefields as well as the graves and cemeteries where Canadians who served the country in war and peace are buried. One of the major projects undertaken under this component together with other government departments is the restoration of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and twelve other First World War memorials in Europe which are a vital part of this country’s heritage. It was noted that the department is currently considering ways of contributing to the care and restoration of memorials in communities across Canada. The Publication and Research component produces and distributes education kits on Canada’s involvement in the two World Wars and the Korean War. The third component, Community Engagement, deals with the organization of various activities including commemorative ceremonies in Canada and overseas pilgrimages to battlefields where Canadians were heavily involved. 

While commemorative ceremonies overseas continue to be an important element of the Canada Remembers Program, the Minister and departmental officials emphasized that increased attention is being paid to commemoration here in Canada. Given the advancing age of our surviving veterans, it is very important to continue efforts to make all Canadians, especially the young, more aware of past sacrifices. As the Minister noted, it is through youth that the legacy of those who contributed to this country’s war effort and to its commitment to international peace can be kept alive for all time. Thus, it remains important to provide opportunities for young Canadians to meet veterans in school and during various activities here in Canada and during overseas pilgrimages. The fact remains that such pilgrimages can be difficult for our aging and increasingly frail veterans, some of whom are returning to battlefields for the first time since experiencing the trauma of combat. The Minister stated that the department is very sensitive to the special needs of veterans such as rest periods during the pilgrimages, protection from the elements during ceremonies, and the availability of medical attention on a 24 hour a day basis. Indeed, he stated that the department was well aware that it is its duty to take care of veterans participating in such pilgrimages. 

The Royal Canadian Legion is also concerned about the care of veterans attending pilgrimages and submitted specific recommendations. Among other things, the Legion suggested that ceremonies during pilgrimages should be organized to minimize delays and that comfortable chairs, comprehensive first aid, and adequate protection from the elements be readily available. The Legion also called for a sufficient supply of water, especially for ceremonies taking place during hot weather. On more general commemorative issues, Mr. Daly, the Legion’s Dominion Secretary, noted that while the department is very active in commemorative activities, the Legion considers itself the principal Guardian of Remembrance and continues to promote and sponsor various programs reminding Canadians of the sacrifice of our veterans. Mr. Daly suggested that the department could do more, notably with regard to the care and restoration of memorials across the country by selecting some 30 memorials of national significance within Canada and taking over most, if not all, of the maintenance. Mr. Daly also highlighted the importance of involving young Canadians in commemorative activities in order to keep the legacy of our veterans alive. He noted that the Provincial Commands of the Legion select youth leaders to participate in a pilgrimage to major European battle sites and suggested that the Legion and the department could share the costs of sending more young Canadians on such trips. While emphasizing the importance of educational material for teachers on the significance of Remembrance prepared by the Legion and the department, Mr. Daly called on the department to do more, if not take over, sole responsibility for the production and distribution of material for teachers and students. However, he noted that educational material and other commemorative activities cannot be limited only to the achievements and sacrifices of Canadians who served in the World Wars and the Korean War. Mr. Daly emphasized that current members of the Canadian Forces are veterans and while the Legion focused in the past on the war service veterans, the achievements of all personnel who have served in the military, in war and in peace, must be remembered.   

Both the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Legion’s Dominion Secretary dealt with the changes made in the distribution of wreaths to Parliamentarians for the 11 November ceremonies. Most, if not all, of the concerns raised about the availability of wreaths for Senators were addressed. 

Having received the testimony of the witnesses, your Committee tables this interim report. 

Since only a few veterans from the First World War remain and since those from the Second World War and the Korean War are also aging and growing frailer, the commemoration of their achievements and sacrifices is now more important than ever. Indeed, we are clearly in a period of transition since we are fast approaching the time when few veterans will be around to remind us of their exploits and their fallen comrades. The overseas pilgrimages which will be undertaken in 2004 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, and the Italian Campaign and those which will take place in 2005 to mark the liberation of the Netherlands and the end of the Second World War in Europe and in the Pacific, will likely be among the last ones to feature a significant contingent of veterans. Thus, if the legacy of their achievements and sacrifices is to remain alive, it is essential that all Canadians, especially the young, be made fully aware of the brilliant record of service and courage of Canadians in war and peace. In short, your Committee is very concerned about the well being of veterans participating in pilgrimages to overseas battlefields, but preserving their legacy is also a major preoccupation. 

While the focus of commemoration is already shifting more and more toward ceremonies here in Canada, overseas pilgrimages to the battlefields which had such a major impact on Canada’s history remain a crucial element in the preservation of that legacy. Our veterans must be given the opportunity to honour their fallen comrades. Their return to these sites, often for the first time since wartime, are poignant reminders for all generations of Canadians of what they lived through. However, our veterans have reached an age where trips abroad as well as long ceremonies can take a toll on their already fragile health. Since it is very important for them to be there, every possible measure should be taken to ensure their well-being during the ceremonies and visits to battlefields. Veterans Affairs Canada recognizes that it has a duty to care for the veterans during pilgrimages and many involved in such events in the past acknowledge the great efforts made by the department in the organization of such trips. However, given the age of our veterans, there is little room for error and everything possible must be done to spare them long waits in the sun or the rain during ceremonies. This is especially true in the case of the large ceremonies which will take place in the next year or two in Normandy, Holland and elsewhere. So many people will be involved and the logistics of travel and lodging may be so complex given the number of places to be visited that many veterans might be overwhelmed. Special efforts will be needed to ensure that the needs of the veterans in terms of information and special care will not be overlooked.  

 We recommend that Veterans Affairs Canada continue to ensure that the special needs of veterans are carefully taken into consideration during future commemorative pilgrimages, and, to that end, enhance its consultation with participating veterans, national veterans groups and organizers in the countries hosting the ceremonies. 

These pilgrimages are an important element of what has been called “passing the torch”. While many veterans have been involved in these trips in the past, there has also been a significant participation by young Canadians, as mentioned by the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Legion’s Dominion Secretary during their testimony. The special relationship created during the pilgrimages between the veterans and the young has often been described as one of the highlights of these trips. Your committee strongly supports the participation of young Canadians in overseas pilgrimages with our veterans. However, while more and more attention is being paid to commemoration here in Canada, visits by young Canadians to foreign battlefields where Canadians fought and died should not come to an end when our war service veterans will no longer be able to participate in such trips. Actually visiting the sites of famous battles can provide better awareness of what conditions might have been like during combat and can be an important factor in keeping the legacy alive. While financial realities make it difficult for all Canadians of school age to visit overseas battlefields, as many young Canadians as possible should have the chance to see in person sites which are so important to Canada’s history.

 We recommend that Veterans Affairs Canada and its partners such as veterans, schools and other groups increase their efforts to find funds and develop programs which will provide to as many young Canadians as possible the opportunity to visit overseas battlefields where so many Canadians fought and died.

 Whether or not young Canadians get the chance to visit overseas battlefields, they still require access to all the tools they need to learn about and understand the extent of the achievements and sacrifices of our veterans. Much has been done to provide education kits to teachers and a variety of information on Canada’s war efforts and its contribution to peacekeeping. However, much more still needs to be done. Your committee views this period as a critical stage in the development within our youth of the awareness and knowledge of the dedication and courage of Canadians in two World Wars, the Korean War and peacekeeping missions. Educational material should be designed to reach out to young Canadians in ways and by mediums which will engage their attention and help them understand their country’s past. There should also be more of this material available. In conjunction with the Department of National Defence, Veterans Affairs Canada should also make greater use of currently serving members of the Canadian Forces in meetings designed to give young Canadians opportunities to speak to veterans and learn about Canada’s role in war and peace. In short, the Canada Remembers program should encourage young Canadians to commemorate the sacrifices made by our veterans by providing relevant and appealing information explaining not only what the veterans did, but also why they served their country.  

 We recommend that Veterans Affairs Canada rethink its approach to communicating with young people and consider more effective methods and increased engagement in communities in order to provide more information to Canadians on this country’s wartime role, on the achievements and sacrifices of Canada’s veterans and on the reasons why veterans were ready to make such sacrifices.

 While promoting the awareness of young Canadians, we cannot neglect many of the symbols that remind everyone of the legacy of our veterans. For example, provincial and local authorities should be encouraged to name highways and streets in honour of Canada’s veterans, as the provinces of Nova Scotia and Ontario have done. Efforts should also be made to erect highway signs indicating how to reach nearby cenotaphs or memorials honouring Canada’s veterans. However, many of the memorials in Canada and those abroad have suffered the ravages of weather and neglect. Veterans Affairs Canada and other departments have taken action to restore the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and other memorials in Europe. However, apart from some major national memorials, many memorials put in place by municipalities and various groups throughout Canada are in bad condition. Their restoration and preservation are also crucial elements in the efforts to keep the legacy of our veterans alive.  

 We recommend that Veterans Affairs Canada continue to give a high priority to the restoration of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and other First World War memorials in Europe and proceed as quickly as possible with the examination of options to assist municipalities in Canada in the care and restoration of local memorials to the achievements and sacrifices of Canadians in war and peace.

Respectfully Submitted

Michael A. Meighen
Member of the Committee


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