ACVA Committee Report

Supplementary Report of the New Democratic Party (NDP)

The Committee of Veterans Affairs (ACVA) studied the issue of Service Dogs for Veterans in May and June 2021 as part of the 43^rd Parliament. Unfortunately, the study did not result in a report because of the subsequent dissolution of Parliament and the resulting election campaign.  New Democrats were pleased to support the return of the study to ACVA in the 44^th Parliament because, in general, we believe that the health and well-being of Veterans is improved with the aid of service dogs, and that Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) has a role to play in supporting the dog-related costs for the Veterans.

The key issue is the establishment of national standards for animal-assisted support services, which has proven difficult to produce within a fragmented, unregulated, multi-million-dollar sector. Without national standards there are no protocols in place to ensure safety and quality of the dogs, the safety of the public, the safety of the Veteran, and there is no process for accreditation of service dog organizations.

 The Committee learned that national standards in Canada can only be created through the Standards Council of Canada,[1] and that the process is currently underway through a partnership between the Canadian Foundation for Animal Assisted Support Service, an impartial, non-profit organization, and the Human Research Standards Organization, an accredited standards development organization.

Joanne Moss, Chief Executive Officer, The Canadian Foundation for Animal-Assisted Support Services, testified:

“The standards are one of many tools in a tool kit, if you will. They are part of the bigger picture. They will not fix everything, but what they will do is provide an opportunity down the road so that if any level of government wants to reference standards in their legislation, they won't reference a brand; they will now reference a national standard of Canada that was developed in a fair and transparent process through basically regulated requirements.”[2]

The Committee heard testimony from various witnesses that underscored the benefits of service dogs for Veterans. The question of efficacy of treatment is not an issue of concern for the NDP. New Democrats believe that service dogs can play a significant role in improving the physical and mental health and well-being of Veterans. Full stop. We do not believe more money needs to be spent on research in this field when there are far more urgent areas of study which VAC should support, such as research into the physical and mental supports of women in the military.

New Democrats want VAC to act immediately on the recommendations contained within the Committee report. The need for national standards is critical, and VAC should do everything in its power to support the process without interfering in their development. In this way, the department will live up to its mandate to help Veterans access the supports and services they need, and to listen to the suggestions of Veterans, to strive to design and deliver programs that meet the modern and changing needs of Veterans and their families.[3]