New announcement: Liberal - Veterans Assistance Portal

Liberal - Veterans Assistance Portal



From: "Hon. Jim Karygiannis P.C., M.P." <jim@karygiannismp.com>
Date: Sep 25, 2013 7:55 PM
Subject: Veterans Assistance Portal
To: <mlblaisrcr@gmail.com>
Cc:

As we move forward I have seen a lot of work which is needed in the Veterans community and much of this work has been ignored and or not looked after.

Many people have warned me against doing this however I have decided to see how I can help vets that face difficulties.

I have made a temporary portal on my website in order to try to assist with case work:
This portal will evolve with time as needs arise. If you need any help please send me info through there and I will try my best to assist.

http://jimkarygiannis.net/veterans_affairs

Do not forget to also send me the authorization which is mandatory in order for me to talk to the department. You can send me info through email at jim@karygiannismp.com and or my efax at 647 723 0287. (this comes directly to me no buffers)

You can also call me at 416 321 5454 Toronto or Ottawa 613 992 4501.

Regards,

Hon. Jim Karygiannis P.C., M.P.
Scarborough-Agincourt
Constituency Office
3850 Finch Ave East Suite 206
Scarborough Ontario
M1T 3T6
Tel: (416) 321 5454
fax: (416) 321 5456
jim@karygiannismp.com
www.karygiannismp.com

@jimkarygiannis

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Canadian Government to award Memorial Cross to family of Canadian veteran killed

Canadian Government to award Memorial Cross to family of Canadian veteran killed by RCMP

September 24, 2013 17:48 ET

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/canadian-government-award-memorial-cross-family-canadian-veteran-killed-rcmp-1834378.htm

PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 24, 2013) - The family of a decorated Canadian Forces veteran who was fatally shot last year during an encounter with an RCMP Emergency Response Team will be awarded a Memorial Cross by the Canadian government in a presentation at Connaught Youth Center in Prince George, this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

Warrant Officer Ryan S. Seguin is travelling from Gagetown, New Brunswick to Prince George to present two medals to the Matters family. Seguin and Greg Matters became best friends in the Forces. Matters was also best man at Seguin's wedding, godfather of Seguin's two children and both served together in Bosnia when Matters became injured. The Matters family has never met Seguin and it is sure to be an emotional and memorable event.

Last September, Greg Matters was killed on his property outside of Prince George by members of an RCMP Emergency Response Team. Matters did not have a firearm and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Tracey Matters, sister of the deceased veteran, says that she and her mother will be honored to receive the medals.

Also known as the Silver Cross, the Memorial Cross is usually awarded to the mother and/or wife of a Canadian Forces member who loses their life in active service, including peacekeeping duties.

"Our family has been devastated by the loss of my brother Greg who was a proud Canadian and had spent 15 years serving our country in the Canadian Forces," says Tracey Matters. "My brother was a loving member of our family who was known for his intelligence, generosity, kindness and warmth. He was deployed to Bosnia, came home injured and suffered significantly with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Greg Matters was undergoing treatment for PTSD with well known expert in this field - Dr. Greg Passey at the Operational Stress Injury Clinic in Vancouver at the time of his death.

Dr. Passey delivered the eulogy at Greg's funeral last year stating that Greg's story had touched his life and that Greg had a clear will to recover with hopes for the future and for a bigger and better life. "He was a man of principles, justice, strength of character and conviction," Dr. Passey said.

"Greg volunteered for the Canadian Forces because he wanted to serve his country and help those who were disadvantaged and unable to defend themselves," Dr. Passey recalled.

A Coroner's Inquest into the death of Greg Matters will be held in Prince George during the week of October 7 to 12, 2013.

Those wishing to help the family pay for legal representation at the inquest may wish to make a PayPal donation at https://www.facebook.com/Justiceforgreg/app_190322544333196. All donations are gratefully accepted.

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Alberta researcher heading to Afghanistan to study soldier stress

Alberta researcher heading to Afghanistan to study soldier stress

CALGARY — The Canadian Press

Published Tuesday, Sep. 24 2013, 1:07 PM EDT

Last updated Tuesday, Sep. 24 2013, 1:13 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alberta-researcher-heading-to-afghanistan-to-study-soldier-stress/article14495725/

A University of Alberta researcher will deploy with Canadian troops to Afghanistan soon to study how soldiers cope with stress.

Ibolja Cernak is from the Canadian Military and Veterans' Chair in Clinical Rehabilitation.

She will spend a month in Kabul as part of her assessment of how soldiers and veterans cope physically and emotionally before, during and after deployment.

She says the three biggest problems facing soldiers are mental health, concussions and lower back pain.

Cernak hopes to come up with ways to prevent some of these problems, which can sometimes become irreversible.

About 120 soldiers from bases in Edmonton and Shilo, Man., have volunteered to participate in the study.

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Canada 'just can’t get around' army cuts, Hillier says

Canada 'just can't get around' army cuts, Hillier says

VIDEO: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-just-can-t-get-around-army-cuts-hillier-says-1.1467584#ixzz2flrI3eUv

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Monday, September 23, 2013 7:03PM EDT

The Canadian Forces "just can't get around" the need to reduce the number of full-time soldiers in order to maintain a well-trained, capable army while meeting the demand for a slimmed-down budget, retired general Rick Hillier says.

Newly appointed Defence Minister Rob Nicholson is facing the task of slashing hundreds of millions of dollars in military spending as set out in last spring's federal budget. The pending cuts have some experts predicting another "decade of darkness," the term Hillier himself coined in reference to the budget cutbacks of the 1990s under then-prime minister Jean Chretien.

In a wide-ranging interview with CTV's Power Play Monday, Hillier said he doesn't believe the army is headed for another such decade, despite the pressure on Nicholson to find big savings in the budget.

But he said that cutting personnel is, in his view, the only way to reduce defence spending while maintaining a strong, stable force.

"If we do this right, we can still have an agile force, we can still have a superbly trained force and we can still have a force capable in this era of threats," Hillier told host Don Martin.

"But it's going to be smaller, you just can't get around it."

The number of full-time members of the Canadian Forces sits at roughly 65,000, a figure Hillier said should be reduced to about 50,000. He said cuts to personnel make the most sense because payroll accounts for 60 per cent of the defence budget.

Contractual obligations for new planes, vehicles and other material make it difficult to cut the equipment budget, which he pegged at 15 to 17 per cent. Cutting from the remaining sector of the budget, training and operations, would have a devastating impact on the force, he said.

"That means soldiers will sit in garrison and ships will remain tied up at the dock and airplanes won't fly," Hillier said. "And I think you have to balance that."

Hillier said his old "decade of darkness" comment reflected his concern about asking soldiers to do the same job, but with less.

"It's a massive, massive challenge, and the cuts are enormous," Hillier said. "And I've always believed that any government elected by the people of Canada have the sovereign business to decide how much they're going to spend on their armed forces."

In his interview, Hillier said that as the federal government demands cuts to defence spending, it should also do more to support veterans who have come forward to say they have been unable to secure benefits to which they are entitled.

"If I were the prime minister… I would use that throne speech to make a special comment about our veterans to say we are going to turn a page," Hillier said of the Oct. 16 speech that will open the new session of Parliament.

He urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to specifically pledge to scrap a provision in soldiers' benefits that claws back money they earn at outside jobs when they are receiving disability payments for suffering wounds in action.

Hillier was quick to note that despite his advocacy, he will not be following the lead of fellow former soldiers who have entered politics, including retired lieutenant generals Andrew Leslie and Romeo Dallaire.

"I'm not going to, but others can," he said.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-just-can-t-get-around-army-cuts-hillier-says-1.1467584#ixzz2flrkZsCS

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Former soldier's service dog refused entry to gym

Former soldier's service dog refused entry to gym

Human rights complaint planned by man suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder

CBC News Posted: Sep 23, 2013 11:16 AM AT Last Updated: Sep 23, 2013 11:46 AM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/former-soldier-s-service-dog-refused-entry-to-gym-1.1864315

A former soldier, who now lives in Vancouver, is filing a complaint with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission against a Moncton fitness club.

Kevin Berry, 30, served in Afghanistan and says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He travels with his service dog Tommy to help him cope with his PTSD symptoms.

"Tommy wakes me up during nightmares, Tommy walks in and clears my house when we get home," said Berry.

Last week, Berry and Tommy were passing through Moncton as part of a walking tour between Nova Scotia and Ontario to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.

Berry says they went to Global Gym on Mapleton Road so he could work out, but were denied entry even though Tommy wears a service dog vest and comes with a government-issued ID card.

"They never once asked what Tommy was for," said Berry. "It was, `No,' right away."

Berry says after being denied entrance by a club employee, he contacted the gym's owner by telephone. He says the man laughed at him and said he'd never allow pets at his gym.

"My human rights were violated by the staff at Global Gym and the ownership," said Berry. "It wasn't just the injury, [there was] definitely an insult aspect to it after speaking with the owner on the phone."
'That's unacceptable'

Berry intends to file a complaint of discrimination with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.

"I have every intention of pursuing a human rights complaint with the government of New Brunswick," he said. "That's unacceptable.

"You don't discriminate against disabled people," he said. "If they were going to sell me a day pass, it's open to the public and you can't restrict someone from joining because they have a disability that requires certain medical equipment."

'You can't restrict someone from joining because they have a disability that requires certain medical equipment.'- Kevin Berry, former soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder

Berry served with the 3rd battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment in Kabul in 2003-04. He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2010, six years after leaving military service.

``It's an invisible disorder, right?" he said. "You can see it on a [CT scan] or MRI, but there's not too many people that [get CT-scanned] or MRI'd before they go to a war zone to get a baseline to compare it to."

Berry has been working with Tommy since January. The dog has been living with him full time since May.

"He'll stick his head in the shower, goes everywhere with me," said Berry. "He is … an extension of my body. He's everywhere with me.

"Tommy means life," he said. "Tommy is hope, a better life, an acceptance in society, an ability to go out and interact in a way I wouldn't have before," said Berry.

"I feel safer with Tommy, much, much safer," he said. "He's there if I have a panic attack, he'll nuzzle into me. He's in tune with my emotions and knows when something is starting."

The employee who denied Berry said she didn't know that some people with PTSD use service dogs and said allowing dogs at the club would have bothered other members.

The owner of Global Gym did not return calls to CBC News.

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: 10 THINGS YOUR COMBAT VET WANTS YOU TO KNOW

10 THINGS YOUR COMBAT VET WANTS YOU TO KNOW

1. He/she is addicted to war, although he loves you. War is horrible, but there is nothing like a life-and-death fight to make you feel truly alive. The adrenaline rush is tremendous, and can never be replaced. Succeeding in combat defines a warrior, places him in a brotherhood where he is always welcome and understood. The civilian world has its adrenaline junkies as well; just ask any retired firefighter, police officer, or emergency room staff if they miss it.

2. Living for you is harder. It would be easy for him to die for you because he loves you. Living for you, which is what you actually want, is harder for him. It is even harder for him if you are smart and do not need him to rescue you, since rescuing is something he does really well. If you are very competent at many things, he may at times question if you need him at all. He may not see that you stay with him as a conscious choice.

3. "The training kicks in" means something very different to him. It is direct battle doctrine that when ambushed by a superior force, the correct response is "Apply maximum firepower and break contact." A warrior has to be able to respond to threat with minimal time pondering choices. While this is life-saving in combat, it is not helpful in the much slower-paced civilian world. A better rule in the civilian world would be to give a reaction proportionate to the provocation. Small provocation, small response (but this could get you killed on the battlefield). When the training becomes second nature, a warrior might take any adrenaline rush as a cue to "apply maximum firepower." This can become particularly unfortunate if someone starts to cry. Tears are unbearable to him; they create explosive emotions in him that can be difficult for him to control. Unfortunately, that can lead to a warrior responding to strong waves of guilt by applying more "maximum firepower" on friends, family, or unfortunate strangers.

4. He/she is afraid to get attached to anyone because he has learned that the people you love get killed, and he cannot face that pain again. He may make an exception for his children (because they cannot divorce him), but that will be instinctual and he will probably not be able to explain his actions.

5. He knows the military exists for a reason. The sad fact is that a military exists ultimately to kill people and break things. This was true of our beloved "Greatest Generation" warriors of WWII, and it remains true to this day. Technically, your warrior may well be a killer, as are his friends. He may have a hard time seeing that this does not make him a murderer. Although they may look similar at first glance, he is a sheepdog protecting the herd, not a wolf trying to destroy it. The emotional side of killing in combat is complex. He may not know how to feel about what he's seen or done, and he may not expect his feelings to change over time. Warriors can experiences moments of profound guilt, shame, and self-hatred. He may have experienced a momentary elation at "scoring one for the good guys," then been horrified that he celebrated killing a human being. He may view himself as a monster for having those emotions, or for having gotten used to killing because it happened often. I can personally recommend 'On Killing' by Dave Grossman.

6. He's had to cultivate explosive anger in order to survive in combat.

7. He may have been only nineteen when he first had to make a life and death decision for someone else. What kind of skills does a nineteen-year-old have to deal with that kind of responsibility? One of my veterans put it this way: "You want to know what frightening is? It's a nineteen-year-old boy who's had a sip of that power over life and death that war gives you. It's a boy who, despite all the things he's been taught, knows that he likes it. It's a nineteen-year-old who's just lost a friend, and is angry and scared, and determined that some *%#& is gonna pay. To this day, the thought of that boy can wake me from a sound sleep and leave me staring at the ceiling."

8. He may believe that he's the only one who feels this way; eventually he may realize that at least other combat vets understand. On some level, he doesn't want you to understand, because that would mean you had shared his most horrible experience, and he wants someone to remain innocent.

9. He doesn't understand that you have a mama bear inside of you, and that probably any of us could kill in defense of someone if we needed to. Imagine your reaction if someone pointed a weapon at your child. Would it change your reaction if a child pointed a weapon at your child?

10. When you don't understand, he needs you to give him the benefit of the doubt. He needs you also to realize that his issues really aren't about you, although you may step in them sometimes. Truly, the last thing he wants is for you to become a casualty of his war.
The Battle Buddy Foundation exists to serve our veterans suffering the 'invisible wounds' of war, Post Traumatic Stress, and Traumatic Brain Injury by providing PTS Service Dogs, Equine Therapy and supporting our nation's heroes when they need it most!!!
With the Veteran Suicide rate at 23 EVERY DAY, and the fact that MORE VETERANS HAVE TAKEN THEIR OWN LIVES AFTER RETURNING HOME FROM IRAQ AND AFGHAN, THAN HAVE DIED DURING COMBAT IN BOTH WARS COMBINED --There has never been more of a reason to TAKE ACTION!

*Your donation will directly support the training and placement of a PTSD Service Dog with a veteran who needs it.*
The Battle Buddy Foundation is registered with the Ohio Sec. Of State and our 501(c)3 status is pending.
We need YOU to donate today and help us as we work to serve our injured veterans!!

Donations can be made online here:
http://kennys.battle-buddy.org/donate
Donations can be mailed to:
8859 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd Suite 202
Olde West Chester, Oh 45069

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.

New announcement: Lt.-Gen. Leslie blasts Conservative government’s treatment of veterans

Lt.-Gen. Leslie blasts Conservative government's treatment of veterans

Andrew Leslie
September 22, 2013 2:05 pm

CHECK the VIDEO: http://globalnews.ca/news/856503/lt-gen-leslie-blasts-conservative-governments-treatment-of-veterans/

OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau's latest recruit to the Liberal team says the Conservative government is not doing all it can to help Canadian veterans.

"I'm not convinced they're doing all they should be doing to give those wounded soldiers and those who are suffering from post-traumatic stress the dues and support they need," Lt.-Gen. (Ret.) Andrew Leslie said in an interview on The West Block with Tom Clark. "It is a sacred duty of any nation to actually support their veterans.

Leslie was speaking to Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, a mission he said was unequivocally "worth it, because it was the right thing to do."

Veterans Minister Julian Fantino did not immediately return a request for comment.

Last week, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced Leslie would be joining the team to co-chair an advisory council on international affairs.

Above: Watch Lt.-Gen. (Ret.) Andrew Leslie speak with media last week after joining the Liberals.

The retired general had 35 years in uniform, during which he was deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, commander of Task Force Kabul and commander of the Canadian Army.

During his interview, Leslie reiterated his criticism of the Department of National Defence's management, especially during a time of restrained budgets.

"I'm not arguing against budget reductions, I'm arguing against how they've happened," he said, noting the department has taken to spending on consultants and contractors instead of giving those jobs to the public servants. "So it's mismanagement of a vital institution, which is of increasing concern t o me."

- With files from The Canadian Press

© Shaw Media, 2013

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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.