Veterans Affairs Minister Rejects Call to Resign Amid Support-to-Death Debate Scrutiny – Nationwide

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence Macaulay is opposing calls to ask him to step down after scrutinizing departmental employees discussing medical assistance in dying with veterans.

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is investigating the matter, MacAulay said, and has only found one “isolated case” where such a conversation occurred “at this time.”

But Macaulay said in an interview with West Block’s Mercedes Stevenson that aired Sunday that even that one incident was “totally and utterly unacceptable.”

A source told Global News that a VAC service agent brought up Medical Assistance in Death (MAID) without prompting during a conversation with a combat veteran who was seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Global News has not identified the veteran who sought treatment.

Multiple sources told Global News that the veterans had never raised the issue, weren’t looking for MAID, and were deeply shaken by the proposal. These sources and he confirmed that the VAC told Global News that the discussion had taken place and that the VAC is investigating the incident.

Sources close to the veteran say he and his family are fed up with the conversation and feel betrayed by the department mandated to support veterans. He had sought services to recover from injuries he sustained while in the hospital and was experiencing improvement in his mental and physical health. They say MAID’s sudden offer hinders his progress and is detrimental to the veteran’s progress and the well-being of his family.

“Veterans can bring up whatever they want. But… when a veteran brings up (MAID), (VAC employees) are directed to bring it up to their bosses,” MacAulay told Stephenson.

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“That’s what it is and will continue to be. But staff need to know that and they will.”

The additional scrutiny comes amid already strained relations between veterans and ministers charged with programs to support veterans.

MacAulay has been accused of continuing unpaid benefits during last fiscal year, which ended in March, and veterans had to wait an average of 43 weeks for a disability claim decision.

This is 27 weeks longer than the 16-week norm set by the VAC, which liberal governments have repeatedly promised to achieve.

The union, which represents thousands of VAC employees, has accused Macaulay of repeatedly refusing to meet with union members to discuss his concerns and has called for his resignation or dismissal.

The National Democratic Party also called for the minister to resign if he cannot resolve the situation with the union.

“The situation has become unacceptable as we seek to remove the Minister from the Veterans Union,” NDP MP Rachel Blaney wrote in a tweet earlier this month.

Conservative MP and former leader Erin O’Toole also called on Macaulay to resign.

Speaking to Stevenson in an interview that aired on west block On Sunday, Macaulay pushed back calls to resign.

“My job is to serve veterans and enable employees to provide that service,” he said. “And that’s what I do and that’s what I want to continue to do.”

MacAulay added that the backlog was “completely unacceptable.”

Today, he said the backlog had been reduced to 25 weeks, which he said was “not quite enough,” especially given his government’s commitment to reduce that figure to 16 weeks within two years of becoming minister. No,’ he added.

That deadline has passed in March 2021.

“We’ll be a little late on that, but we hope to get it down to 16 weeks by next spring or summer,” MacAulay said. “That’s 80% of the applications processed in 16 weeks. .”

The government is “on the right track,” Macaulay added.

— Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson, with files from Sean Boynton

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.