Results Unsatisfactory A Critical Review of the 2010 VAC National Client Survey - Our Duty Inc

Veterans’ Affairs Canada is using flawed data, according to a report released today by citizens’ advocacy group Our Duty. “We have grave concerns regarding the conduct and structure of the 2010 National Client Survey” say the report, “Given its significant deviation from accepted standards, we suggest it would be unsafe to consider the study conclusive.” The National Client Survey was conducted in April-May 2010 by Corporate Research Associates under the direction of Veterans’ Affairs Canada. The Survey results were presented later that fall and concluded that 80% of veterans and their families were satisfied with the services and benefits they receive from VAC. Our Duty disagrees with those findings. It notes “In the months preceding this presentation to Treasury Board, media provided extensive coverage of veterans who were frustrated and dissatisfied.” It cites a number of events from 2010 as examples, including court battles, privacy violations, and the first national veterans protest ever to take place in Canada. Those events prompted the citizens’ organization to take a closer look at the data. Our Duty say the survey design resulted in dissatisfied veterans not participating in the study, which resulted “in satisfaction scores being over-inflated.”