OTTAWA - A Commons committee is calling on the federal government to break new ground by appointing an ombudsman for military veterans as quickly as possible.
An ombudsman would give veterans a much-need advocate to help them obtain the best services possible, committee chairman Rob Anders said Thursday, adding Canada will be a "pioneer'' once it appoints a veterans' ombudsman.
Veterans in many countries have access to an ombudsman to help them obtain benefits and services they're denied because of misunderstandings, bureaucratic delays, or lack of information, Anders said.
A specialist is needed to help veterans negotiate the complex legislation governing disability benefits and regulations concerning access to programs and services, he wrote.
"Veterans often do need help to get what they need,'' Anders, a Conservative MP from Calgary, wrote in a 27-page report entitled A Helping Hand for Veterans: Mandate for a Veterans' Ombudsman.
"Canadian veterans should not be denied access to the help of an ombudsman because there is no such office with a country-wide mandate dealing with federal government programs and services. It is time to fill the void by appointing an independent, impartial, and effective veterans' ombudsman.''
The all-party committee was unanimous in its conclusions, tabling 22 recommendations on the issue in Parliament on Thursday.
The report says the veterans' ombudsman should be appointed for five-year terms and report to Parliament annually.
The ombudsman's mandate would include oversight of "all issues pertaining to the care, support and benefits'' of veterans and their families.
"An ombudsman would give our veterans an advocate,'' Anders wrote. "Someone to help them obtain the best services possible.''
The position, the first recommendation of the newly created committee, would not replace the Veterans Appeal and Review Board.
