Conservatives call for national standards on service dogs for veterans with PTSD

The Conservative party is calling on the federal government to develop national standards for the certification of psychiatric service dogsto improve access for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

John BrassardandPierre Paul-Hus, the party's veterans affairs andpublic service critics,said national standards are neededto ensure uniform access for veterans and training for dogs acrossall provinces.

"Veterans and support services face barriers and devastating denial of care because there is no recognized national standard," they said in a joint statement.

Parliament's veteran affairs committee had been studying the issue of national standards during the spring but with an election callwidely expectedlater this month, that committee likelywon't be able to publish a final report.

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Brassard and Paul-Hussaid if an election is called, the work of the committee will be lost and the government should enact some standards as soon as possible.

"Canadian national standards are urgently required to improve equality of access for all veterans in need," they said in their statement.

Phil Ralph is director of health services at Wounded Warriors Canada,which provides mental health services to veterans. Hesaid national standards would help to avoid a patchwork system.

"There needs to be a consistent application of understanding what a service dog does," he said.

Wounded Warriors hascontributed over $3 millionto training service dogs and pairing themwith veterans since 2012. It relies on various international bodies, such asAssistance Dogs International, to guide its program's standards.

Ralph said he thinks the federal government needs to take the lead and draft national regulations.

"The reason we have our own [standards] is because there is an absence of them. There's a vacuum," he said.

Government says more research needed

When asked if the government would commit to national standards, a spokesperson for Veteran Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulaysaid there hasn't been enough research on the use of service dogs.

"We recognize that there is significant interest in using service dogs to assist veterans with mental health conditions, however, there is limited research surrounding its safety and effectiveness," MacAulay's director of communicationsJohn Emburysaid in an email.

"We continue to monitor any additional studies that have been conducted by our allies."

NDPveteran affairs critic Rachel Blaney said she supports the idea of national standards.

"Without these standards, there are so many broken pieces that create this fragmented framework that leaves veterans behind," she said in a statement.

Standards long proposed, never materialized

National standards for service dogs have been proposed for years. The Conservatives first pledged funding for research into the benefits of service dogs for veterans when they were in government in 2014.

Just prior to the 2015 election campaign, then veterans affairs minister and current Conservative leaderErin O'Toole announced that national standards for service dogs would be set by the federal government.

After the Liberals took power, a studywas conducted and released in 2017that was meant to pave the way for national standards.

But theCanadian General Standards Board, thefederal regulating agency, pulled out of the project in 2018, putting a damper on the push for national regulations.

Although it was met with some criticism, the 2017 study found thatservice dogs can have a number of positive effects on people living with PTSD:detecting and preventingcrises, improved sleep, fewernightmares, better concentration, improved self-confidence and increased social participation.

Ralph said there has been enough discussion on the topic for standards to be implemented and that the government should follow through on it.

"We've done actually the hard leg work, so just get on with it," he said.