New announcement: New Veterans Affairs minister: same old crisis of insensitivity

New Veterans Affairs minister: same old crisis of insensitivity

New Veterans Affairs minister: same old crisis of insensitivity

By SEAN BRUYEA | Published: Monday, 10/14/2013 12:00 am EDT

OTTAWA—Veterans aren't happy and recently-appointed Veterans Affair Minister Julian Fantino is only fanning the fire with the usual parroting of bureaucratic misinformation. How do veterans and other Canadians hold a minister and his bureaucracy accountable for spreading half-truths and misleading claims?
The first step to accountability is to uncover the truth.

The situation in the veteran community is so dire that Fantino wrote an op-ed for theNational Post and also sent it out on the internet addressed to "Dear Veteran." His open letter claims there is a "tangle of misinformation regarding how Canada treats" its veterans. His first assertion is that "a majority of Canada's veterans receive the support and care they need."

The truth is Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) provides programs to a mere 17 per cent of Canada's serving and retired military members. It would be impossible for Fantino to know whether the remaining 83 per cent of veterans are indeed having their needs met since no effort is made by his department to track the "needs" of this population.

The primary focus of the minister's op-ed is the legislation for Canadian Forces members and veterans known as the "New Veterans Charter." He rightly points out that Parliament was unanimous in endorsing "wholesale change to veterans' support and services" for post-World War II Canadian Forces veterans. What he leaves out is that Parliament never scrutinized the legislation in a House committee and not a single word of debate was permitted amongst MPs.

Bureaucracy and successive ministers promised Canadians that the legislation was open to regular changes, claiming the new program was a "living Charter."
Since that time, Fantino's government has wrongly taken credit for the $4.7-billion, which has been cumulatively added to the department's budget since 2006. What the minister does not explain is that almost 50 per cent of those funds were cost of living increases hard-wired into Parliamentary law. A substantial part of the remaining $4.7-billion was allocated as early as 2005 as part of the legislation which replaced lifetime disability pensions for lifelong injuries with one-time lump sums. The bureaucrats anticipated the increased upfront cost of the lump sum program would eventually save the department money in what one callous bureaucrat of the time proclaimed would be a "wellness dividend."

In a not so veiled attack on the lifelong pension, the minister claims that the lump sum program does not "simply throw money at a problem or a person." This is a rather rich claim since the lump sum is seen by rehabilitation and medical as well as veteran policy experts as doing exactly that: throwing money in the short term at a veteran and leaving most recipients without anything to show for their lifelong injuries in the years that follow.

The minister is quick to laud the recent veterans ombudsman report which notes that unfair comparisons are made between the lump sum and lifelong disability pensions without considering the "overall suite of monetary and non-monetary benefits provided under the New Veterans Charter." The minister claims this "cherry picking" is not objective. What the minister omits and the veterans ombudsman overlooked is that a recent uncontested Federal Court ruling concludes that compensation for pain and suffering must be considered completely separate from other economic financial benefits.

Because of this ruling it is both legal and correct to compare these two programs directly. Even the ombudsman notes that "there are undeniable differences between the value" of the two programs. Even with all programs taken into account, the Veterans Ombudsman concludes that the "overall value"
of the New Veterans Charter programs is below the benefits paid under the lifelong disability program.

The minister asserts that his department implemented "over 160 recommendations that were determined after wide consultation." However, repeated efforts over the past two years by organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion and other veterans' groups to obtain a detailed accounting of the ethereal changes resulting from the implemented recommendations have yet to materialize from Fantino's department.

In his final words, the minister concludes that an upcoming review of the New Veterans Charter in Parliament will work towards "appropriate change" to address the "needs" of veterans and their families. However, the previous review proposed 16 areas of change, each necessitating a handful of specific remedies. The result was that the bureaucracy ignored all but four specific remedies.

As for attempts to placate the overwhelming cries to reinstate the lifelong pension: the department implemented a choice to receive the lump sum all at once or the same lump sum paid over any chosen period. It is not surprising that less than five per cent of recipients of the lump sum chose to take it over
time and none were given the choice between a lifelong pension and a one-time lump sum payment.

The minister's cherry picking of facts has served to only further inflame a veteran and family population far too bruised by bureaucratic insensitivity and empty political rhetoric. It is the veterans and their families who must define what is "appropriate change" and what they "need." It is nothing less than
condescending paternalism for a department, 99 per cent of which has never served in the military, to tell a veteran what he or she "needs."

The Department's Values and Ethics states that "we are accountable and responsible for our actions and accept the consequences for our decisions." Are these words just another half-truth?

Sean Bruyea is vice-president of Canadians for Accountability and he is also a veteran.

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Corporal leaving military after PTSD walk disagreement

Corporal leaving military after PTSD walk disagreement

CTV Montreal
Published Sunday, October 13, 2013 6:52PM EDT

CHECK the Video: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/corporal-leaving-military-after-ptsd-walk-disagreement-1.1496313

A Canadian soldier is leaving the military after being denied time off work to raise money for a military charity.

Cpl. Kate MacEachern raised $20,000 for the charity Soldier On last year by walking more than 500 kilometres in her Long Way Home trek, but when she asked for time off to walk even farther this year, her bosses said no.

The walk aims to raise money to help vets, particularly those stricken with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"When I asked permission this year, I had a feeling that I wasn't actually going to get it. I already knew that if it came back as a no, I was ending my career," said MacEachern, who was passing through Montreal Sunday.

Last year, MacEachern walked from CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, where she is posted, to her hometown of Antigonish, N.S. She received accolades from her superiors and even Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

"I have not ever felt so strongly or been so devoted to something in my entire life," an emotional MacEachern said.

According to CFB Gagetown internal memos, MacEachern's superiors said there would be no one to replace her during the 45 days she requested off to complete this year's 1,600 kilometre walk from Gagetown to Ottawa. This time, the walk will benefit Military Minds, an organization that helps soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Officially, MacEachern is only allotted 25 vacation days annually.

MacKay says he only learned about MacEachern's situation Friday and has asked for more details.

NDP defence critic Jack Harris says the time to act is now and that a compromise should be reached for a woman who has received "very shabby treatment."

MacEachern, a single mother of a nine-year-old boy, will start marching from CFB Gagetown on Sept. 3.

"At the end of the day you need to stand up for what you believe in no matter what the cost," MacEachern said.

MacEachern has been in the military for seven years, and will be ending her career next month.

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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: War veteran died before getting the medal he desperately coveted

War veteran died before getting the medal he desperately coveted

ByMark McNeil

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4152673-war-vet-died-before-getting-his-medal/

When his country called in the Second World War, Ed Wood answered in spades.

He flew 16 harrowing missions in big Lancasters as part of Bomber Command before being shot down over Stuttgart, Germany in July 1944 and parachuting to safety from 20,000 feet.

But 70 years later when the veteran called on his country, no one responded.

And Wednesday, Wood died at St. Peter's Hospital without the special service medal bar he so desperately wanted to recognize the dangerous sacrifice he made as a young man.

"I'm 90 years old and I still didn't get it," were the last words he said, his daughter Deb Wood recalled.

In the summer of 2012, the Conservative federal government announced it was finally going to recognize Canadian airmen who flew with Bomber Command.

A special bar was created to be worn on the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal.

At the end of the war, special medals were awarded for other campaigns, such as Dieppe and Hong Kong, but not to flyers who flew dangerous Bomber Command missions.

More than 10,000 Canadian airmen were killed while serving in the controversial Bomber Command campaign that is estimated to have killed as many as 600,000 Germans, many of whom were civilians.

The special medal issue was something air force veterans vehemently complained about for decades before the announcement by then Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney last summer that "With the production of this bar, our government is honouring those Canadians who fought for peace, freedom and democracy through their service in Bomber Command operations over Europe."

But the medals — in some cases at least — have been slow to be issued. That's a big concern because veterans of the campaign still living are into their 90s. A spokesperson for Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino could not explain the delay and issued the statement:

"Second World War Veteran Ed Wood served his country with honour and distinction, alongside thousands of Canadians in Bomber Command. Nearly 1,000 bars have been issued, and Veterans Affairs will continue to issue them as quickly as possible."

Deb Wood said she applied twice, once before the program formally started. She stepped up her campaign through the summer of 2013, knowing her dad was becoming more frail. She said Veterans Affairs promised it would be delivered in July.

But no medal arrived.

Last week, knowing her father was reaching the end, she contacted NDP Hamilton Mountain MP Chris Charlton to lobby on the family's behalf, but to no avail. Charlton said the department should have "moved heaven and earth" for someone who fought so hard for his country.

Deb Wood said, "When I called I was given different numbers and different people and all would say is that it is in the mail," "I was told the elderly would be the first to get them." Families of veterans are also eligible to apply.

Wood believes the medals were being held back so they could be handed out at high impact ceremonies such as Remembrance Day. She says other Bomber Command vets she knows haven't received their medals either.

But she did see on television a ceremony in Toronto in August where several vets were presented with the bars.

Wood, who worked as an accountant in his civilian life, was very active with the Canadian Warplane Heritage.

Over the last several months, he was obsessed about receiving the medal before he died. She says his doctor told her the faint hope of receiving the medal probably extended his life by several days, maybe weeks.

"I believe that is what he was hanging on for. It's all he kept asking for."

Wood's funeral will be held at Bayview Gardens Funeral Home on Rymal Road on Saturday.

mmcneil@thespec.com

905-526-4687 | @Markatthespec

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Minister and Ombudsman on Roy Green Show Saturday October 12 3:00pm

Minister and Ombudsman on Roy Green Show Saturday October 12 3:00pm

Hi All

I was just speaking with Roy Green and he indicated that the Minister and the Ombudsman will be speaking on the Roy Green Show on Saturday October 12 at 3:00pm.

There should be opportunity to rebut what will likely be the usual bureaucratic parroting.... and perhaps a nugget or two of insensitivity such as comparing military service in a combat zone to the work of community policing or firefighting or paramedics.

Catch the program on any of the Corus Network stations such as:

http://roygreenshow.com/

http://www.cknw.com/cknwwoundedveterans/

http://www.640toronto.com/

Please distribute widely.

All the best for Thanksgiving everyone.
Sean

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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Psychiatrist testifies he was not allowed to talk to veteran suffering PTSD

Psychiatrist testifies he was not allowed to talk to veteran suffering PTSD

DENE MOORE

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — The Canadian Press

Published Wednesday, Oct. 09 2013, 9:37 PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Oct. 09 2013, 9:42 PM EDT

The psychiatrist and former soldier who was treating Greg Matters for post-traumatic stress disorder asked RCMP if he could speak to the former peacekeeper as he was surrounded by heavily armed police officers at his rural British Columbia farm, a coroner's inquest into his death heard Wednesday.

Dr. Greg Passey said he received a call the evening of Sept. 10, 2012, from an officer who said Matters was inside a cabin and threatening to shoot members of the emergency response team who had formed a perimeter outside.

The officers were there to arrest Matters for assaulting his brother during an altercation about 40 hours prior.

"I said something to the effect that you don't want him backed into a corner where he does not feel he has any options. If you push him into that situation, he will defend himself. I was fairly certain of that," Passey testified.

They discussed potential strategies to defuse the situation unfolding on the property where Matters lived with his mother near Prince George, B.C.

"All the while I was expecting to be able to talk to him."

That didn't happen.

The officer ended the call, suggesting that a surrender had been negotiated. He heard nothing until the next day, when he saw on the news that Matters, 40, a 15-year soldier who had served as a peacekeeper in Bosnia, had been fatally shot by RCMP.

"It is my true opinion and conviction that had I been able to speak to Greg that night, I could have talked him out," Passey said.

Several family members fled the inquest room in tears as a forensic pathologist demonstrated where two bullets entered Matters's back, exiting through his chest. A third bullet remained in his body, jurors were told.

Passey, the head of the B.C. Operational Stress Injury Clinic in Vancouver, which treats soldiers and police, past and present, explained how Matters developed PTSD.

He was assaulted twice by members of his unit in 1995, Passey said. Matters filed a complaint but he was the one charged, and he believed that was because another soldier involved in the beating was of a higher rank.

Later, he had several run-ins with RCMP, in New Brunswick where he was based and later in Prince George. On one occasion, officers from the Prince George detachment came into his home at gunpoint, at night, to do a "wellness check."

"He never felt he was being heard. He never felt he was getting justice," Passey said, explaining why police, and a sense of injustice, would trigger Matters's PTSD.

His verbal threats — against an estranged brother, police, the police complaint commissioner, a former therapist — were "primitive and immature" responses, the psychiatrist said.

"You need to realize nowhere in his record has Greg, that I'm aware of, ever instigated any physical attack on anybody," Passey said.

Matters left the military with an honourable discharge in 2009. Unable to work, he was surviving on a $123 a month military pension.

His financial troubles, chronic pain from a back injury suffered in Bosnia, and the conflict with his brother contributed to his illnesses, Passey said.

Andrew Kemp, the lawyer for the B.C. Attorney General and RCMP, asked Passey about his confidence that Matters would not act on his long list of threats.

"You would agree with the proposition though that even though he had not yet, to your knowledge, acted on any of his threats, there's always a first time?" Kemp asked.

"One has to look at past behaviour as a method to predict future behaviour," Passey replied.

"Greg had multiple opportunities to act in an aggressive manner toward individuals, and I had no history that it ever occurred, so it was unlikely he was going to act on those threats because in between, once he settled down, the threats dissipated."

"Unlikely is different than never, though," Kemp said.

Kemp pointed out that Matters's previous therapist, who treated him for two years, took threats against her seriously enough to call police.

Under questioning from jurors, Passey said Matters's PTSD made it very difficult for police to deal with him.

"It made it very difficult for both parties in this," he said.

Asked if he had any recommendations that might prevent similar deaths in the future, Passey said every police officer should be trained to deal with PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.

"This should be taught at Depot and should be something that's taught every time an officer needs to requalify," he said.

"They need to requalify on regular basis with regards to baton use, Tasers, firearms, etcetera. There should be a course specifically to educate officers about this disorder."

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

Harold Leduc response to Minister's Fantino National Post Article

From: Harold Leduc [mailto:duke@hkpdesign.com]
Sent: October-08-13 11:14 AM
To: Minister-Ministre Minister-Ministre; Jacques Fauteux; Prime Minister/Premier Ministre
Cc:
Subject: Re: Article - National Post

Dear Minister,

Thank you for the interesting email. In future I would appreciate you addressing your comments to me personally if you are going to use my email address. I've copied your Chief of Staff Jacques Fauteux, a Naval veteran to provide veterans another avenue to reach you.

The fact of the matter is that the tangible misinformation is coming from your, the Prime Minister's and the Veterans Ombudsman's office. I know these offices have received numerous complaint by wronged veterans but have done little about them. To set the record straight, Canada treats it's veterans well, it's the Conservative Government that doesn't.

I was at the table when Government robbed disabled veterans of Pension Act life long disability benefits to pay for the programs of the New Veterans Charter (NVC) and heard your Government's promises in opposition to fix the problems...we're still waiting. Your review falls short of the scope and objectivity required.

You're not accurately representing the $4.7 billion figure. Isn't that figure VAC's total operating budget including employee wages?

You know that your Ombudsman misrepresented the purpose of the Pension Act in his recent report to downplay it's significance, just like you are doing. You know that he did not provide Canadians with all the relevant facts by purposefully omitting the most generous option currently available of collecting Pension Act benefits for disability and NVC benefits to have other needs met.

You're not addressing your insensitive comments on the Bill Good show that has angered veterans to the point that they are calling for your removal.

You're not addressing this Government's use information gained from inappropriate privacy breaches to re-injure veterans disabilities.

Veterans are extremely angry with the disrespect they get from from Veterans Review and Appeal Board. You've not addressed why you're keeping the Chair in place after he was caught misspending public funds and misleading the Parliamentary Committee on the Board's denial culture. You're also not addressing the bad behaviour of the Board members who disrespect veterans at hearings, ignore the law and Federal Court guidance to deny rightful benefits and place evidence on veterans files without telling anyone, not to mention the Board breaching veterans privacy.

I could go on but will stop there to say that this Government has to stop misleading Canadians on how they are mistreating veterans and mocking our service and sacrific. Canadians will know that veterans are being taken seriously when you are removed from office as Minister and the appeal of the NVC lawsuit is withdrawn. This Government has proven time and again that veterans will only find justice and fairness in the courts.

Please contact me at (250) 896-3738 if I could provide further information.

Sincerely,

Harold Leduc

On 2013-10-08, at 4:58 AM, Minister-Ministre Minister-Ministre wrote:

Dear Veteran / Cher(ère) vétéran,

(For your information / Pour information)

There exists a tangle of misinformation regarding how Canada treats its men and women who have served in uniform - as well as regarding the legislation known as the New Veterans Charter. Improvements made by our government, and validated by the latest Veterans Ombudsman report, indicate that while important gaps do need to be filled, a majority of Canada's veterans receive the support and care that they need.

Almost eight years ago, a unanimous Parliament endorsed wholesale change to veterans' support and services. Since implementing the New Veterans Charter in 2006, our government has invested almost $4.7-billion in new funding to enhance veterans benefits, programs and services. Today, seriously injured veterans receive significant financial support up front, and each month, in addition to having access to world-class treatment from some of the most experienced medical professionals in Canada.

As the Ombudsman notes in his recently released actuarial analysis, "the Enhanced [New Veterans] Charter is focused on wellness and rehabilitation, while the Pension Act focuses on compensation." Our approach is not to simply throw money at a problem or a person. We are focused on providing the best support and care for veterans and their families.

Canadians can and should be proud of the commitment they have shown through their parliamentarians to support Canadian veterans who are injured in the line of duty. According to the Veterans Ombudsman's report, the modern framework now in place to assist our former men and women in uniform "in lieu of a monthly pension cheque, [provides] a suite of benefits and services that encourages wellness and rehabilitation and is consistent with the principles of modern disability management."

The Ombudsman is also prudent enough to provide a caveat: "Frequently, comparisons are made only between the Pensions Act monthly disability pension and the New Veterans Charter lump sum disability award without taking into context the overall suite of monetary and non-monetary benefits provided under the New Veterans Charter. Such 'cherry picking' does not provide an objective view of how all the benefits come together to provide a particular effect."

Our government also introduced significant legislative improvements to the New Veterans Charter in 2011 that were praised in the Ombudsman's report as having "had a positive effect." We incorporated over 160 recommendations that were determined after wide consultation. In particular, we implemented enhancements to the New Veterans Charter that make it easier to qualify for the Permanent Impairment Allowance (PIA) and the Exceptional Incapacity Allowance, along with a series of other changes that boost the transition of a veteran to civilian life.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, the changes made by our government allow for a veteran to have increased choice. They can either receive a one-time lump-sum payment; an annual installment over the number of years of a veteran's choosing; or a combination of these two payment options.

Our government continues to take positive action on behalf of veterans. Last week, I announced that the government of Canada will support a comprehensive review of the New Veterans Charter, including all enhancements, with a special focus placed on the most seriously injured, support for families and the delivery of programs by Veterans Affairs Canada. I call on parliamentarians to focus on how we can better assist veterans. This parliamentary review, guided by representatives elected by the people of Canada, will provide an appropriate forum where all voices can be heard, including and especially those of veterans, their family members, other interested individuals and subject-matter experts. That is where we can work together to enact appropriate change for veterans and their families.
In truth, the very reason for the Ombudsman's work is to support just such a review, and not supersede it as a few critics have falsely claimed.

Our government is committed to the veteran who has sacrificed so much for their country. We will continue to work through Veterans Affairs Canada, with relevant stakeholders, community and families to ensure that we ably meet needs while also being mindful of our responsibility to the Canadian taxpayer.

Our veterans, and Canadians, deserve no less.

Sincerely / Cordialement,

Julian Fantino PC, MP / CP, député
Minister of Veterans Affairs / Ministre des Anciens Combattants

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

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New announcement: Minister Fantino to Announce Changes to Help Canada’s Veterans Access Vocational

Minister Fantino to Announce Changes to Help Canada's Veterans Access Vocational and Training Services

Veterans Affairs Canada
Media Advisory
October 7, 2013

Toronto – The Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, will make an announcement about cutting red tape for Veterans.
He will be joined by Guy Parent, Canada's Veterans Ombudsman.

Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Location: School of Applied Technology, Building N, Room N117
Humber College
205 Humber College Boulevard
Toronto, ON

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Please note: Minister Fantino will be available at Building FX (Humber
Daycare) at 9:15 a.m. for a photo opportunity prior to the announcement.

– 30 –

Media inquiries:

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

Joshua Zanin
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
613-996-4649

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The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.