Department leaves veterans in ‘financial limbo,’ behind on half its targets
Canada’s Veterans Affairs Department is behind on half of its performance targets, department results released last month reveal, which opposition MPs call unacceptable and a “horrible performance” built off systemic problems. Veterans Affairs missed 14 of 26 targets for the 2016-17 year, filing 54 per cent under “attention required,” leading to delayed decisions on veteran […]
Remembrance Day reminds us the price for respect is sacrifice
OTTAWA—In two of her greatest works, Paris 1919 and The War that Ended Peace, author Margaret MacMillan sketches out both the causes and the effects of the so-called “Great War.” Throughout the 20th century, the effects of that war were still being felt across the world. In my own family, there are stories of the […]
The Weekend Q&A: what does Remembrance Day mean to you?
PARLIAMENT HILL—Remembrance Day is a day to remember all the men and women who served and fought for Canada, and a day to take a minute to honour those who have fallen in the line of duty. For Parliamentarians across party lines, the day is important. Many rushed back to their ridings this week to […]
We need a new continuum of care for Canada’s veterans
OTTAWA—There’s a demographic shift underway within the veteran population which Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) serves and it’s opening up a unique window of opportunity for injured and aging veterans and their families. For the first time in recent generations, the Continuum of Care pathway, from homecare to long-term care that many find themselves on, can […]
Opposition parties call for improved support for transitioning military members in government’s new suicide prevention strategy
The Trudeau government’s recently unveiled mental health and suicide prevention strategy represents a move in the right direction by pledging resources to address what has become a serious issue for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), but more must be done to address gaps in care for service members transitioning out of active duty, says Conservative […]
Official inquiry needed to avoid repeat of Afghan failure
OTTAWA—There were news stories out of Afghanistan last week detailing how the United States is expanding and entrenching the so-called Green Zone in the centre of Kabul. An ambitious two-year construction project will bring together currently isolated outlying facilities into one massive protected zone. In addition to U.S. military and diplomatic posts, the “new and […]
Invictus is more than an event, it’s a mindset
“I am.” That’s a very powerful phrase. These two words, “I” and “am,” together, followed by specific characteristics, give people the power to define themselves. The effect of this kind of mind over matter is not to be downplayed. It can deliver the strength you need to stand up when the world seems to be […]
Trudeau shuffles cabinet committee members
The prime minister quietly shuffled his cabinet committee membership last month in the wake of August’s cabinet shuffle, adding in new ministers and moving up Labour Minister Patty Hajdu, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos into chair positions. A Sept. 19 update of the cabinet committee list on the prime […]
Can O’Regan avoid putting his foot in veterans’ mouths?
OTTAWA—If the first public comments of newly appointed Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan are anything to go by, veterans and the governing Liberals should be worried. The Trudeau government will have to understand veterans far better. They also should be eager to do more than they promised if they wish to reverse seven decades of […]
Ex-NDP MP Peter Stoffer diagnosed with prostate cancer, says he ‘has 99 per cent chance of full recovery’
A popular former Nova Scotia NDP MP, who worked tirelessly during his 18-year parliamentary career to promote the causes of Canadian veterans, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Peter Stoffer, who represented Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook, N.S., (a riding that has held various names), between 1997 and 2015, told The Hill Times on Sept. 15 that he was diagnosed “a […]
