Studies on transition from military to civilian life hurting, not helping current, former members of Armed Forces
There have been numerous occasions during my tenure as Canada’s National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman when I felt like Sisyphus: that character in Greek mythology who was forced to push a boulder up a mountain only to have it repeatedly roll back down and hit him. In the Canadian military, there is no […]
Veterans complain government’s new ‘centre of excellence’ for PTSD prioritizes research over in-patient treatment
Veterans advocates are criticizing the Trudeau government’s new Centre of Excellence on post traumatic stress disorder and related mental health conditions for wrongly prioritizing researchers and doctors instead of improving in-patient treatment for Canadians dealing with the psychological pains of war. “This is a bag of money for them to do research, and that is all […]
Government fails to meet veterans’ expectations regarding re-establishment of ‘lifelong pensions’ under new Veterans Charter
The National Council of Veteran Associations and the War Amps of Canada contend that Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan’s announcement regarding the long-awaited “lifelong pension” has failed to live up to the Liberal government’s election commitment to address the inequities in the New Veterans Charter and continues to ignore “the elephant in the room” which has […]
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 […]
