Veterans Affairs is failing targets, and failing veterans
Re: “Department leaves veterans in ‘financial limbo,’ behind on half its targets,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 13, p. 1). Canada has had four veterans affairs ministers during the past five years. Why aren’t the Members of Parliament who are veterans speaking up? Why aren’t the national veterans organizations saying anything? There was an article on […]
Canadian veterans trapped in untenable situation
The Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association, an all-veteran organization, is gravely concerned about the current untenable legal situation in which Canadian veterans are trapped. Recently a B.C. Court of Appeal decision overturned an earlier ruling of the B.C. Supreme Court concerning a class-action lawsuit by veterans. The court’s claim is that there is no legislation that […]
Total health and resilience for the military community
OTTAWA—When the Department of National Defence announced a total health and wellness strategy earlier this year, as part of the new defence policy, it embarked on its most ambitious and important program yet for the health of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. We hear the stories but we don’t see the scars. Soldiers return from […]
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 […]
