New announcement: Minister Blaney Meets with Corporate Canada Working to Remove Barriers for Vets

Minister Blaney Meets with Corporate Canada - Harper Government and Corporate Canada Working to Remove Barriers for Veterans

Veterans Affairs
News Release
January 29, 2013

Minister Blaney Meets with Corporate Canada - Harper Government and Corporate Canada Working to Remove Barriers for Veterans

Toronto – The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, today participated in events organized by the True Patriot Love Foundation, and the Veterans Transition Advisory Council (VTAC), a team of corporate champions committed to removing the barriers that Veterans face during the transition to civilian employment.

"We are proud to work with corporate Canada to help Veterans successfully transition from military to civilian life," said Minister Blaney. "By working together with the True Patriot Love Foundation and the Veterans Transition Advisory Council, we will help ensure that transitioning Veterans have opportunities for new and rewarding second careers."

The day began with a "From Battlefield to Boardroom" conference, which saw human resources executives from corporate Canada gather to learn more about the value and experience of military Veterans. The conference was followed by the inaugural Veterans Transition Advisory Council meeting.

Led by the True Patriot Love Foundation, the Veterans Transition Advisory Council includes representatives from leading national companies who will raise awareness of the skill sets Veterans have to offer to the private sector. The Council will also provide strategic recommendations to Minister Blaney and to the broader private sector to improve the transition from military to civilian employment.

"The True Patriot Love Foundation is honoured to partner with the Government of Canada in delivering support to military members," said Shaun Francis, Chair of the True Patriot Love Foundation and the Veterans Transition Advisory Council. "The inaugural From Battlefield to Boardroom Conference, along with the Veterans Transition Advisory Council, will help to create an environment where our Veterans will flourish in their new civilian roles."

The Veterans Transition Advisory Council's work lends itself to the new initiatives the federal government has undertaken to enhance opportunities for Veterans to transition to the civilian workforce, including the Helmets to Hardhats Canada initiative launched in January 2012.

The Council's work also builds upon the Veterans Transition Action Plan, launched last fall by Minister Blaney. The plan consists of new measures for cutting red tape for Veterans, enhancements to service delivery, post-military career opportunities for Veterans, ground-breaking research on the needs of releasing Canadian Armed Forces personnel, and enhanced cultural awareness.

"Our Government is dedicated to ensuring Canada's Veterans continue to prosper as they re-enter civilian life," said Minister Blaney. "We commend the True Patriot Love Foundation and the members of VTAC for their leadership in these initiatives and are proud to support them."

For more information on Veterans Affairs Canada's programs and services, visit veterans.gc.ca.

– 30 –

Media inquiries:
Janice Summerby
Media Relations Advisor
Veterans Affairs Canada
613-992-7468

Hilary Coles
Manager of Communications and Public Relations
True Patriot Love Foundation
416-628-4972

Jean-Christophe de le Rue
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
613-996-4649

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=8175.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Shaun Francis: Corporate Canada should embrace our veterans

Shaun Francis: Corporate Canada should embrace our veterans

Shaun Francis, National Post | Jan 29, 2013 12:01 AM ET | Last Updated: Jan 28, 2013 5:53 PM ET

Two years ago, I stood among a circle of soldiers at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan and listened to Canada's chief of the defence staff, General Walter Natynczyk, speak to his troops. Early in his career, the General said, before anyone had heard of al-Qaeda, he never would have expected to see Canadian troops in this part of the world.

And it wouldn't end with Afghanistan. Canada would be needed again before too long, the General promised — and probably in another country we rarely think about.

Is that day today? North Africa's flames are threatening to burst into a much bigger conflagration. The Islamist insurgency in Mali, a country twice the size of Afghanistan, threatens to topple that country's secular government. French air and ground troops have intervened, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently extended the loan of a C-17 transport plane. West Africa's dominant power, Nigeria, is sending 1,200 of its troops to Mali, and would appreciate further Canadian support, possibly in the form of helicopters. Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is calling for a global response to the deadly Algerian gas field attack that Islamist terrorists say was a response to events in Mali.

I believe our Canadian Forces will be there to respond, when we need them, in Mali and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the reverse is proving not to be true: The rest of us are not responding to the needs of those who have served in the Canadian Forces.

In the next year, approximately 5,000 people will leave the Forces. All too often, they emerge from military service to face an inhospitable employment situation.

The usual story goes something like this: A captain in his late 20s has spent several tours running combat missions in Afghanistan. The military has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to train this individual. He has managed and motivated a platoon of 30 to 40 men and women through life-threatening situations. He has seen friends die. But when he leaves the service, the best employment he can find is an entry-level position — something like a sales job for hourly pay at a big-box store. He's proven that he's capable of more — but our civilian business managers fail to recognize the management expertise possessed by our military men and women.

Not recognizing that expertise is bad business — and bad for Canada. Hiring a veteran is a substantive way for civilians to give back to men and women who have risked their lives in the service of protecting us from foreign threats.

Thankfully, some are beginning to recognize the hidden source of talent represented by our ex-military. In the U.S., which is farther along on this than we are, Wal-Mart's pledge to hire 100,000 American vets over the next five years is a great idea in spirit — assuming those jobs offer management-track potential.

Too often, a vet who has managed a platoon of 30 to 40 can find no work in civilian life except entry-level positions

In the same spirit, CN Rail chief operating officer Keith Creel, a former American soldier and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, announced the rail company's initiative to hire 2,000 Canadian veterans in December. And Veteran Affairs Minister Steven Blaney is working with the charity I co-founded, True Patriot Love (TPL) Foundation, on a Veterans Transition Advisory Council, to encourage corporate Canada to better utilize the talent inherent in our servicemen and women.

We can do more, and we will, which is why TPL is today hosting a seminar called, "From Battlefield to Boardroom." It's a day-long Toronto event, at which corporate and military luminaries will make a business case for hiring young veterans. Tim Hodgson, a former Canadian Forces reserve officer and the former CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada, is among the speakers.

Certain to be discussed are other military-to-business success stories. Take Chapters Inc. founder and former CEO Larry Stevenson. He's an alumnus of Harvard Business School who happens to be the product of military training as a Royal Military College grad and a former member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment — and, incidentally, an Honourary Colonel in Toronto's Queen's Own Rifles reserve regiment.

Service in Afghanistan and other operational deployments has produced Canadian veterans who can think on their feet, make critical decisions; and who possess a strong work ethic, loyalty and commitment to teamwork. Corporate Canada needs to step up and help employ these men and women when they leave the service. We need to reassure them that they'll be embraced by the businesses they've protected once they inevitably cycle out of the battlefield.

As the ongoing conflict in North Africa attests, war persists — as must our expressed gratitude to our military men and women.

National Post

Shaun Francis is the founder of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the well-being of Canadian military families.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/01/29/shaun-francis-corporate-canada-should-embrace-our-veterans/

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=8171.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: PROGRAM OF CHOICE (POC) 13 – SPECIAL EQUIPMENT -EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA (VAC)
PROGRAM OF CHOICE (POC) 13 – SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

January 2013
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is improving the service delivery of its treatment benefits program by updating the benefit grids so that most services/items will only require pre-authorization the first time a Veteran accesses the benefit. In many cases, subsequent requests by the Veteran for the same benefit will not have to meet the pre-authorization requirement, making it easier for the Veteran to obtain the services/items required.

For the benefits listed in the following table, neither a second prescription nor a second preauthorization is required for payment for these devices/services following the initial approval year (12-month period) for each specific client.

360908 Emergency Communication Systems – Emergency/Electronic Call Device – Purchase Subsequent purchases do not require another prescription or pre-authorization
Frequency: 1/5 Calendar Years

361017 Emergency Communication Systems – Emergency/Electronic Call Device Monthly Service Charge Annual renewals do not require another
prescription or pre-authorization
Frequency: 12/12 Calendar Months

361018 Emergency/Electronic Call Device – Rental Annual renewals do not require another prescription or pre-authorization
Frequency: 12/12 Calendar Months

361023 Emergency Communication Systems – Emergency/Electronic Call Device – Installation Subsequent services do not require another
prescription or pre-authorization

Please do not quote authorization numbers on invoices submitted after the initial 12-month authorization period has passed.

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=8136.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Supreme Court voted against sharing Veterans pension surplus!

Supreme Court voted against sharing Veterans pension surplus!

Military/RCMP Veterans
Against CPP Annuity
Benefit Reduction at age 65

"For immediate distribution, including Face book and Twitter"

Veterans and Supporters,

January 13, 2013

Subject: Supreme Court voted against sharing Veterans pension surplus!

For your information, the enclosed news article has been released to newspapers and news media across Canada. French copies have also been distributed. We consider the court decision to be most important, as it will affect the surplus in Veterans and most other pension plans in Canada.

You may wish to request that your local papers print the information to better inform Veterans and the Canadian population.

Sincerely,

John Labelle
Veterans Annuity Campaign
Coordination
"Veterans work continues"
florencejohn@ns.sympatico.ca


Supreme Court voted against
Sharing Veterans Pension surplus

The Prime Minister of Canada has abandoned Canada's Military/RCMP Veterans. The recent Supreme Court verdict of 9-0 in favour of the Government of Canada, denied Military, RCMP and several Public unions the return of the $28 billion surplus dollars taken from their pension account to pay down the National debt. Military personnel and Veterans were furious to learn that appointed non-elected Supreme Court Judges side stepped the issue in favour of the Government rather than administer the law and protect employees retirement plans. They should have declared employees pension plan funds as sacred retirement benefits for employees and their families. This grave decision made by the court will place many company pension plans at risk in the future. Owners will deplete surplus funds from their employees pension plan to invest in their company and many pensioners plans will be at risk in the future.

Speaking on the Military Annuity plan, Veterans remember that the Government of Canada took a premium holiday during the 6 and 5 wages and price control years and never repaid it back to their pension plan. The current very large surplus (billions of dollars) accumulated in the Military Annuity account will also be depleted to pay down the National debt and/or to purchase new Military equipment. Why is the Government planning to increase military personnel Annuity contributions in the near future when it should be decreasing their contributions?

Consider these listed factors: Unfortunately Canada's Military Heroes have no Unions to negotiate and represent them. Senior Military Officers have no authority to negotiate for their benefits. The Veterans Ombudsman can only review clients of Veterans Affairs files. At age 70, Public Servant supplementary death benefit (SDB) is a paid up policy of $10,000 dollars compared to $5,000 dollars for Veterans. The termination of severance pay benefit is another blow to future Veterans and their Families retirement planning. Military personnel serve far abroad on numerous 24/7, 16 hours day of operational requirements without over time pay. Military personnel often face dangerous conditions, health hazards and extended family separation that leads to elevated levels of stress. Canadian forces personnel are committed to an unlimited liability and are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to their country Canada.

Where does the Government of Canada stand with regards to democracy, fairness, justice and dignity towards its Veterans when it is not willing to share the surplus in their Annuity plan? At age 65 the Government claws back Military personnel CPP benefits while it exempts Senators, Members of Parliament and Judge Advocates. Are Veterans not also worthy? Canada's Armed Forces is the only Force in the world that is directed to purchase their own disability insurance protection (SISIP). Disabled Veterans Annuity is clawed back immediately! The Government of Canada terminated the pension Act disability protection of its disabled Veterans and their Families. The new lump sum payment plan robs disabled Veterans 60% of their previous disability benefits. This situation will cause serious financial hardship to many Veterans and their Families in the future. The closure of Veterans hospital beds and the production of TV style dinners for disabled Veterans is the latest pain the Government has inflicted on our disabled Veterans. Veterans must now often resort to the courts to receive job related disability benefits. Mr. Harper, as the Prime Minister of Canada, you must take full responsibility for abandoning Canada's Veterans!

We shall remember!

John Labelle
Veteran Advocate
florencejohn@ns.sympatico.ca
902-864-2456
27 Dresden Court
Lower Sackville
Nova Scotia
B4C 3X1

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=8016.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: OVO Annual Report 2011-2012 - Rapport annuel 2011-12 de L'ombudsman des vétérans

Those who sustain similar illnesses or injuries while serving their country should have access to the same benefits, regardless of the nature of their service and where and when they served.

http://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/pdfs/annual-annuel-2011-2012-eng.pdf

Ceux et celles qui sont frappés d'une maladie ou d'une blessure semblables pendant qu'ils servent leur pays doivent avoir accès aux mêmes avantages, quels que soient la nature, le moment et l'emplacement de leur service.

http://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/pdfs/annual-annuel-2011-2012-fra.pdf

Link to the reports: http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=7879.0

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=7879.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: CF Operational Deployment Handbook-Manuel des fc sur le déploiement opérationnel

CF Operational Deployment Handbook - Manuel des fc sur le déploiement opérationnel (a venir)

http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/AllLocations/EN/Deployment%20Departures%20and%20Reunions/Documents/CF_OP_handbook_Tabs%20V4.pdf
http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/AllLocations/EN/Deployment%20Departures%20and%20Reunions/Documents/Deployment_handbook_v4.pdf

Document's are downloadable from the message itself, Click Here: http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=7784.msg8278;topicseen#msg8278

or you can download via scribd and or get the embedded code.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/118819122/CF-OP-handbook-Tabs-ENG-V4

http://www.scribd.com/doc/118819247/CF-Deployment-handbook-ENG-v4

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=7784.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: CF Operational Deployment Handbook-Manuel des fc sur le déploiement opérationnel

CF Operational Deployment Handbook - Manuel des fc sur le déploiement opérationnel (a venir)

http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/AllLocations/EN/Deployment%20Departures%20and%20Reunions/Documents/CF_OP_handbook_Tabs%20V4.pdf
http://www.familyforce.ca/sites/AllLocations/EN/Deployment%20Departures%20and%20Reunions/Documents/Deployment_handbook_v4.pdf

Document's are downloadable from the message itself, Click Here:

or you can download via scribd and or get the embedded code.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/118819122/CF-OP-handbook-Tabs-ENG-V4

http://www.scribd.com/doc/118819247/CF-Deployment-handbook-ENG-v4

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=7784.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.