The Canadian Veterans Advocacy

Friday, June 27, 2014

New announcement: Retired Major Mark Campbell Interview June 5th 2014

Retired Major Mark Campbell graciously permitted me the opportunity to do a brief video interview with him on June 5th 2014, at Branch 617 in the GTA Area. Mark served with the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and he did UN Peacekeeping Missions over to Cyprus and Bosnia, plus he served two tours over in Afghanistan (tragically he lost both of his legs on his second tour of Afghanistan to a command-detonated IED.)

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You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=13694.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

War Pensioners president condemns Veterans Affairs minister for claims

"He's an idiot for saying that," stated WPC President Colin Pick on Monday. "For him to be saying something like that, it just goes to show that he hasn't done his homework."

http://www.manitoulin.ca/war-pensioners-president-condemns-veterans-affairs-minister-for-claims/

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php

Thursday, June 26, 2014

New announcement: PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Friday, May 30, 2014

Fantino rushes from committee with RCAF spouse in pursuit

RESIGNATION OF FANTINO DEMANDED BY JENIFER

CTV News Channel: 'That was the ultimate truth'
Jenifer Migneault says the incident shows the ultimate truth into how Julian Fantino treats veterans.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.1844375

Fantino rushes from committee with RCAF spouse in pursuit
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/05/29/fantino-rushes-from-committee-with-rcaf-spouse-in-pursuit/

VIDEO FANTINO RUNNING AWAY FROM SPOUSE.
Fantino challenged by families on $4M for TV ads to counter PTSD 'misinformation'
http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/fantino-challenged-by-families-on-4m-for-tv-ads-to-counter-ptsd-misinformation-1.1844167

Veterans girding for fresh battle with federal government
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/veterans-girding-for-fresh-battle-with-federal-government

Anciens combattants: Accueil hostile pour le ministre Fantino
http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2014/05/20140529-191443.html#.U4fW6xikumg.facebook

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php

Monday, May 26, 2014

New announcement: Meet the modern-day voice of Canada's veterans

Meet the modern-day voice of Canada's veterans

David Pugliese More from David Pugliese
Published on: May 26, 2014Last Updated: May 26, 2014 11:35 AM EDT

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/meet-the-modern-day-voice-of-canadas-veterans

In the last several years, a new breed of veterans' advocates has emerged, including Mike Blais, founder of Canadian Veterans Advocacy. Unlike many of their counterparts from years before, these veterans don't believe in remaining silent or working behind the scenes.

They have faced the ire of Conservative MPs and party organizers. Last year, Blais was branded an extremist by Daniel Dickin, president of the Ottawa South Conservative Association, who claimed that Blais advocated threats and civil disobedience. In fact, Blais had spoken out against such activities.

Blais joined the Canadian Forces in 1977; seven years later, he suffered a serious back injury during a mission in Cyprus. In 1993, he was medically released from the military.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. Why did you start Canadian Veterans Advocacy in 2010?

A. The foundation of that was a sense of duty to those in my regiment who were serving in Afghanistan. I was the president of the local RCR (Royal Canadian Regiment) association. I went to a ceremony in Hamilton and I got talking to these young fellas. Man, I was stunned: These guys were coming home with serious wounds and felt like they were being cast adrift.

Another reason was the manner in which the government treated Pat Stogran as Veterans Ombudsman (he had been outspoken on behalf of veterans and his term was not renewed). That was one of the reasons I organized the first Canadian veterans' day of national protest, because of the way he was so unjustly treated.

Q. You seem to have become the focus of a number of Conservative MPs and party members who have launched personal attacks on you. Why?

A. I'm a volunteer. I'm a veteran. The message I may bring may not resonate too well with the government but it's a message that has been decided by the wounded veterans and their families. It's not Mike Blais picking words out of my hat. I'm the voice of many who are afraid to speak out.

Q. What about the more traditional organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion?

A. They abandoned us with their support of the government's New Veterans Charter. They would support a standard (of support) that is much lower for the modern veteran, than the standard they had fought so strongly for, for the traditional veteran, myself included.

I'm on the Pension Act. I was injured when I was 35. My pain and suffering award could almost equate to $2 million by the time I die. Meanwhile, Afghan veteran Maj. Mark Campbell gets a $280,000 lump-sum award for losing two legs and other serious injuries including severe PTSD. What the hell happened there? Why are we treating a veteran like that?

Q. Do you think things will improve?

A. I believe there will be improvements. I believe that because a movement is starting to rise. I feel that it started when the veterans came in to Ottawa from down East about the Veterans Affairs district office closures and the abhorrent way that Minister (Julian) Fantino treated them. I think that was a tipping point.

For a while, it seemed it was modern veterans fighting for modern veterans and the old guys were kind of on the sidelines. But when that happened with Fantino, when he disrespected that 88-year old World War Two veteran, when Afghan veteran Bruce Moncur who has five per cent of his brain removed because of his injuries, was disrespected, I think a lot of multi-generational veterans got really pissed off.

Q. Any closing words?

A. I would encourage all veterans to reach out to their MPs. We cannot affect change on the New Veterans Charter until we get all MPs from all parties to embrace their sacred obligation to veterans. Now we have the Liberals on board. We have the NDP on board. Now it's time for the veterans' community to focus on the Conservatives. At this time they are the only political organization in Canada who is not fulfilling their sacred obligation to veterans.

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You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=13433.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

Friday, May 16, 2014

New announcement: Town Hall Meeting: Julian Fantino may soon be leaving the Harper government

Fantino a go go! I have heard through the grapevine Fantino will be doing a cross country trip soon to meet with veterans in town meetings. Time to rally, time to have your voice heard. Hopefully, he wont have the "binder" he uses to Question Period to answer your questions

Once the schedule is up, we will be posting times and dates. He will be in BC next week, there will not be much time to rally. Should anybody wish to PROTEST, I am good with that!!!!!

Veterans deserve SO much better.

Consider this a warning order.

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/robocalls-ontario-fuel-rumours-fantinos-resignation

Robocalls in Ontario fuel rumours of Fantino's resignation

Amid calls for his resignation, curious robocalls in Vaughan fuel rumours that Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino may soon be leaving the Harper government.
Matthew Millar
Posted: May 16th, 2014

Mysterious robocalls in Ontario have people wondering if Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino is considering his future after federal politics, the Vancouver Observer has learned.

Residents of Vaughan, Ontario -- a suburb North of Toronto -- received robocalls surveying their likelihood to vote for Fantino as Mayor of Vaughan in the municipal election slated for October 27, 2014.

Multiple sources in the region confirm that the calls were received shortly after 7:00 p.m. local time on May 15 and asked residents whether they would vote for Fantino, or the incumbent Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.

"I was surprised to get this call. And to hear that Fantino appears to be running for Mayor of Vaughan. The robocall poll only listed two people -- Mr. Fantino and Mr. Bevilacqua -- and it asked who I would vote for, Fantino or Bevilacqua," said Vaughan resident Carrie Liddy.

"It looks like they are getting ready to run a campaign for Fantino in Vaughan and they are testing the waters to see if the public is favourable to electing him as Mayor," said Liddy.

Sonia Meucci was also 'shocked' when she heard the minister's name in the call.

"I normally hang up on these calls, but because we're having a provincial election, I stayed on the line," she said. "It said they were conducting a poll for Vaughan which seemed out of the ordinary. When I heard Fantino's name as a future Mayoral candidate -- I was shocked, because he's a federal minister," said Meucci.
'Every intention' to continue as Veterans Affairs Minister

Despite strong calls for his resignation earlier this year from veterans, Fantino has steadfastly maintained he would not step down. The Minister did not respond to media requests, but Nicholas Bergamini, Fantino's press secretary said:

"I don't know where you got it from. I don't really care, and it is completely off base -- don't waste your time. This is categorically false. Minister Fantino has every intention to remain as the Member of Parliament for Vaughan, and in his role as the Minister of Veterans Affairs".

Fantino is currently the Conservative Member of Parliament for Vaughan -- a riding once held by Bevilacqua with the federal Liberals until 2010. Liberal sources state that the calls were not associated with Bevilacqua. Neither Fantino or Bevilacqua have formally registered as candidates in the Vaughan municipal election.

The calls were conducted by the Conservative-friendly Grassroots Public Affairs from a Toronto based number associated with the company. When reached for comment, an automatic voicemail identifies the number as a "research line for Grassroots Public Affairs".

Caller ID showing a May 15 polling robocall from Grassroots Public Affairs.

According to Grassroots' website, company principal Peter Seemann "has been involved in Canadian politics since 1993. Through his political activism, Peter has forged many strong relationships within the current federal Conservative party and the Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario".

Also listed as part of the Grassroots Public Affairs team is Gary Grant, a retired Toronto Police Service Staff Superintendent. Fantino was Chief of the Toronto Police Service and later Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police between 2005 and 2010.

When reached for comment about the robocall, Seemann wrote:

"We do work for a variety of clients on three levels of government. The question you refer to was only one of several elated to the current municipal race in Vaughan. We do not disclose information on who we are doing research for."

Fantino has been heavily criticized for his role as Veterans Affairs minister, with calls for his resignation after showing up over an hour late to a meeting with veterans in Ottawa in February, resulting in an explosive and emotional press conference lambasting the minister.

The federal government has come under fire over the recent closure of eight regional Veterans Affairs offices, and also over the ongoing debate about the mental health services available to vets and compensation for injured soldiers.

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You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php?topic=13340.0

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

One Day of Honouring Veterans Will Never Make Up For a Lifetime of Disrespect

One Day of Honouring Veterans Will Never Make Up For a Lifetime of Disrespect

http://huff.to/QQJamr

When I was asked to write about the Day of Honour I found it difficult. I knew that the sooner I finished the better, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch. The military worked within the seven-week time frame flawlessly, DND followed the word of command and put on a parade that would make Caesar jealous, while cities across Canada honoured the 40,000-plus Afghan veterans with a display of gratitude that was truly appreciated. Despite these facts, I have misgivings about painting a happy picture of military affairs in Canada. One day of organized remembrance does not undo the actions -- or lack thereof -- of our government on every other day. I fear that our veterans continue to be mistreated and disrespected within a system that ignores their sacrifices on a daily basis.

It is truly amazing to watch Canadian soldiers work with what they have. Very few nations can boast of a military able to overcome such adversity. Canada has ships that break down in the Pacific and have to be towed to Hawaii, there are submarines that don't sink or float, and the Sea King helicopters require 100 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight time. I've heard that the company that made the Sea King has even requested an inspection of the helicopters because they never intended them to be used for over 40 years. The current Canadian contribution to the NATO mission supporting Ukraine is a great opportunity for other nations to see the equipment that their grandfathers used. Combat tested reservists -- men and women who volunteered to go to war, putting job and family on hold for over a year -- have returned to their civilian lives and reserve units and due to budgetary cutbacks are forced to use militia bullets (the act of saying "bang" with your mouth) on weekend exercises. I've done it.

The day before the National Day of Honour, I decided to visit the National War Museum. As I walked through the museum I noticed that it ended at the Canadian mission in Bosnia. There was no indication at all that Canada had ever sent a mission to Afghanistan. I followed my visit with a walk along the Ottawa River and as I went to cut up Elgin Street, I found construction crews working on the National War Memorial. Communication for the May 9 ceremony was abysmal, apparently the plans leading up to parade for the Day of Honour were need to know, and veterans did not need to know.

Originally, families of the fallen were told that they would not have to pay for their travel expenses to attend the Day of Honour. Unfortunately, within 24 hours of that announcement the decision was reversed. Further information was quickly released that the charity, True Patriot Love, was going to cover the expenses. However, to cover the costs, a breakfast was held on the morning of the ceremony at the Ottawa Convention Center where donors could pay 1,000 dollars a plate to attend. In a Dion Quintuplet type scenario, the families of the fallen were to be put on display to the highest bidder to cover the cost of attendance at their day of honour. It was at this time that I became aware of the fact that doing nothing might be better than doing something.

It was Facebook that showed me how to sign up for the National Day of Honour. If it were not for the Canadian Veterans Advocacy (CVA -- a group dedicated to improving the quality of life of our veterans), I would have had no idea how to even sign up for the parade. The government made no attempt to contact me or -- to my knowledge -- any other Afghan vet.

When I arrived at the ceremony I did not anticipate having to march on parade. I was conflicted, and yet I fell in to ranks. A retired colonel began to delegate, immediately appointing a Regimental Sergeant Major RSM to form us up. They began to call out drill, but I could not bring myself to follow the word of command. Being called to attention, after all of the grief my injury caused me, was too difficult. Veterans Affairs of Canada legislation is set up in such a way that a penetrating head injury like the one I sustained in Afghanistan will garner you 10 per cent of 298,000 dollars. I will not come to attention.

Julian Fantino compares Rob Ford's addiction struggles with the PTSD suffered by soldiers like myself. I will not turn to the right in threes. The conservative government is currently arguing that the "moral obligation" owed to injured veterans spoken of by former Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden does not apply to those veterans now. When we were a poorer country, with more veterans and less people, there was a moral obligation. But when we are a richer country with less veterans and more people, the moral obligation no longer applies. I argue that you must possess and act in honour to declare a day in support of it.

This should be a cautionary tale to everyone. The veterans' inability to come together proved to be their downfall. Anyone currently serving will not speak up about poor treatment. World War II veterans are dying at a rate greater than a 1,000 a month. Veterans' associations are working in their member's interests, but do not appear interested in working together. Charities will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars so that the government does not have to pay to bring 158 families of the fallen out to Ottawa. Twenty years ago, the legion had 500,000 members. Today there is only a little over 300,000 and of that number 70,000 are veterans, 40,000 of whom are above the age of 80. The legion will soon have to transition into a civilian organization to survive. Our failure to unite as veterans has left us vulnerable and the government has seized the opportunity to slash the department of Veterans Affairs.

The honour that I witnessed on May 9, 2014 was that of a group of men and women who will continue to be mistreated and disrespected. They will continue to hold their heads high and follow commands from a man that speaks of honour and then allows his representatives to walk out on veteran delegations and dispute moral obligations to those injured in war.

There is nothing left to protect the rights of veterans in Canada but the Canadian people. There is no union. A soldier cannot sue the federal government. I believe that no one is safe from a government able to do this to veterans. I have often wondered if Canada was like this when I went to war in 2006. If it was, instead of my brains back I want my naivety.

Bruce Moncur: Canadian Afghanistan War Veterans Association https://www.facebook.com/groups/219903948077143/

Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

http://canadianveteransadvocacy.com/Board2/index.php

Canadian Veterans Advocacy

Friday, June 27, 2014

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