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Spring 2009 Summary - ACVA |
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July 15, 2009 -- Since the spring of 2008, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) has been conducting a comparative study of veterans' services offered by Member Countries of the Commonwealth and the G8. During the Spring 2009 Session, those efforts came to fruition with the tabling of the committee's report on this matter before Parliament.
Since launching the study, the Committee has heard from an extensive list of foreign government witnesses, as well as officials from Veterans' Affairs Canada. The Committee also visited Veterans' Affairs Canada Department Headquarters in Charlottetown, P.E.I. to receive briefings on the various programs, services and benefits offered to veterans by the department so that a full and thorough comparison could be done.Throughout the course of the study, committee members -- understanding that no services and benefits system is without flaw -- were impressed with how Canada supports veterans as compared to many of its Commonwealth and G8 counterparts.
On Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 as Chair of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, I had the honour of hosting a news conference announcing the release of our tabled report. The report, entitled "Shared Experiences: Comparison of Veterans Services Offered by Members of the Commonwealth and the G8" is available online here or if you would like a hard copy, please contact either my Constituency Office at 905.627.9169 or my Hill Office at 613.996.4984.
Veterans are the backbone of our great nation -- they deserve the best care and support that a government can provide. With veterans in our country ranging from the Second World War to modern day, it is important that our programs, services and benefits are flexible yet encompassing. With this in mind, and in the context of our meetings, committee members worked diligently on the study and a unanimous report is testimony to that fact.
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them." |
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Sweet re-elected chair of Commons Industry, Science and Technology committee |
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June 15, 2011 – MP David Sweet continues in this role, which he has held since September 2010.
With the return of Parliament and a shuffling of committee assignments in a majority government, Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MP David Sweet was re-elected chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in a vote of his peers on Parliament Hill today.
“We have a strong, clear mandate from Canadians to focus on the economy and that includes preparing for the jobs of the future. The Industry, Science and Technology portfolio certainly plays a key role in innovation, the digital economy, technology-driven manufacturing and more. I look forward to working with Industry Minister Christian Paradis and my parliamentary colleagues to address some of the complex issues that we anticipate to be before the Industry committee,” said Sweet.
Standing committees are made up of Members of Parliament from all parties on a proportional basis to the number of seats a party holds in the House of Commons. Committees are typically chaired by the ranking Government MP.
“Having served on a committee that David has chaired in the past, I have witnessed first-hand the exceptional work that he does,” said Brant MP Phil McColeman. “He is highly skilled at involving the committee members, focusing the committee on the business at hand while maintaining an impressive knowledge and understanding of the multiple issues the committee is dealing with at one time.”
In addition to the Industry Committee, MP Sweet also serves on the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism, and as Chair of Parliament’s all-party Steel Caucus. In previous session of Parliament, he has served as Chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. |
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ACVA Report Release - Veterans' Services |
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June 17, 2009 -- The House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs today released its report comparing veterans' services offered by countries which are members of the Commonwealth or the G8 Group of industrialized countries. The report made nine recommendations, including continued review of compensation payments to help Canada keep pace with our allies.
"This is about ensuring the ongoing improvement of services to our veterans," said David Sweet, committee chair and Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
In this study, the committee compared disability pensions, health care programs, and other services provided to veterans in Canada by the Department of Veterans Affairs to those available to veterans in countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The goal of the study was not to determine which country does the best job in meeting the needs of its veterans and their families, but rather to compare how countries deal with these issues and to make recommendations to the Canadian government. The committee recommended, among other things, that the government continue its review of the New Veterans Charter to ensure that the compensation payments for disabilities and all the other benefits it provides meet the needs of Canadian veterans and their families.
Sweet also reiterated the committee's appreciation for the information provided by parliamentarians, military officers, diplomatic representatives and officials from the various countries examined during its study. |
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MP Sweet Elected Chair of ACVA |
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February 17, 2009 -- Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MP David Sweet was elected chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs in a vote of his peers on Parliament Hill earlier this month.
Choosing a chair was the committee's first order of business in this new session of Parliament and the group of MPs selected local MP David Sweet, a member of their committee since being elected in 2006.
"Throughout his time on the Veterans Affairs Committee (ACVA), David has shown leadership and often rallies fellow committee members to a common purpose," said Bev Shipley, MP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and former VAC member.
During the last session of Parliament, the Veterans Affairs Committee's report recommended the government's adoption of a Veterans Ombudsman and work by the VAC towards a Veterans Bill of Rights was realized when the government introduced a Veterans Bill of Rights in April 2007. Shipley recognizes the leading role Sweet played in advocating for both of these achievements and in the consultation the VAC did with veterans and veterans groups throughout the process.
"While it's an honour to be asked by your colleagues to take on this responsibility, the real honour is in serving veterans from coast to coast - the men and women who so selflessly sacrificed for our country, our freedom and the rights and privileges we enjoy as Canadians today," said Sweet.
Sweet is the first MP from the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale riding, or its predecessor ridings, to be elected a Standing Committee chair in over 20 years.
In addition to serving on the Veterans Affairs Committee, David Sweet, MP also serves on the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Human Rights and is also Chair of the Steel Caucus. |
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