'Doesn't line up': MPs challenge minister over instances of MAID offered to veterans

CTV National News: Veterans offered MAID Four Canadian veterans have stepped forward after allegedly receiving an offer of a medically assisted death. Creeson Agecoutay reports.

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay was challenged by MPs on Monday about how the federal government is handling the growing number of veterans who’ve reported being offered medical assistance in dying.

While MPs are questioning whether the situation is more widespread than the department has acknowledged, MacAulay says officials are working with the facts they have.

During a House of Commons Veterans Affairs Committee meeting on Monday, Conservative MP Blake Richards said that since MacAulay confirmed two weeks ago that Veterans Affairs Canada was aware of four instances of medical assistance in dying (MAID) being offered to veterans by one employee, he's become aware of additional alleged incidents.

"I'm certainly now aware of at least eight veterans who have had this occur," Richards told the committee, citing the recent case of veteran and former Paralympian, Retired Cpl. Christine Gauthier, as one example. "And there has been at least three additional case managers or service agents involved in this," he stated, noting not all veterans he has spoken to about this have come forward.

Responding to Richardson, Deputy Minister Paul Ledwell told MPs that while they are aware of more reports, after reviewing more than 400,000 unique veterans' files for any reference to MAID being raised inappropriately, the department remains at four "isolated cases involving one individual" that have been referred to the RCMP.

Last Thursday, Gauthier told the committee that she too, had a caseworker from the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) offer her medical assistance in dying (MAID) after trying for five years to get a wheelchair ramp installed at her home. She testified that a caseworker had offered MAID and the equipment needed after she described her deteriorating condition due to permanent knee and spine injuries suffered during military training.

Gauthier's case was not one of the four previously-known cases, and Ledwell said that while this instance is being investigated, after going back to review her files which were included in the initial review, "there's no indication in the files, in any correspondence, in any notation based on engagement with a veteran, of reference to MAID."

"If the veteran has material, an indication of that we again—as we've invited for other veterans—would welcome seeing that, reviewing that, and making that part of our investigation," Ledwell said. "It's critically important as the minister has underlined and as we have stated repeatedly, that we get to the bottom of this, the full breadth of this, and we address the issue."

Echoing this, MacAulay implored Richards and anyone else who is aware of more cases, to "please bring any information they have, forward," either to the department or the Veterans' Ombudsperson.

"What we want to do is make sure that we get the facts, and if you have facts that will assist the investigation, please bring them forward. But we need facts and if we have facts, we will deal with them," said the minister.

Questioning MacAulay specifically on how Gauthier's case was handled— she's been asking for some mobility assistance since 2018 —Bloc Quebecois MP Luc Desilets asked why the department hasn’t acted faster.

MacAulay said that he has asked that her file now receive some "specific attention," but made no commitments on the response.

"I will certainly make it a priority to do everything we can, but that does not mean that we can provide everything that an individual asked for. We will do everything we can under the regulations in order to make sure that this veteran receives what you truly needs," MacAulay said.

NDP MP and veterans' critic Rachel Blaney questioned whether the department is considering implementing a system that would allow calls with case managers to be recorded -- if veterans are comfortable with that.

"Because it seems to me that we're getting into a position where it becomes very much 'he said-she said' and veterans deserve better," said Blaney. "I just want to make sure that we don't let this fall down… And part of that is having something that we can go back to, to make sure that this never happens again."

As the questioning continued, Conservative MP Fraser Tolmie suggested that what the committee has heard, and what the department is saying "doesn't line up," suggesting there is a breakdown of trust between the department and Canada's veterans.

"You wonder why veterans don't feel comfortable coming forward, when… you sit here and continue to tell us: 'oh there's only four, and there's only one agent,' when veterans have clearly indicated that that's not in fact accurate," Richards said. "So, I really hope minister, that you're going to go away from this meeting and think really long and hard about how you've failed our veterans in this regard, and how you're going to have to do better because you've put potentially veterans' lives at risk."

During the hearing—meant to be focused on ongoing contention over contracting changes to the Department of Veteran Affairs rehabilitation services—MacAulay sought to emphasize that there are "thousands of employees" at the department who "truly care" and are also "hurt by this."

"We want to make sure that we get the situation rectified, and rectified as quickly as possible. That is what we're trying to do. And that is what we will do," MacAulay said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously described the instances of veterans being offered MAID as "absolutely unacceptable," and vowed the protocols at Veterans Affairs Canada would change.

With files from CTV News' Tom Yun