Liberals’ plan for veterans: numbers don’t add up
OTTAWA—The new federal Liberal plan for veterans is all about saving money, yet again, at the expense of veterans. The more Canadians and veterans learn of the 2019 Liberal programs, the more the confusion and anger grow. How do we survive the dizzying daze induced by trying to understand veterans’ benefits? First, let’s cut through […]
We’re delivering to help veterans deal with very unique challenges: O’Regan
Re: “Government fails to meet veterans’ expectations regarding re-establishment of ‘lifelong pensions’ under new Veterans Charter,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 29, by Brian Forbes, chair of the National Council of Veteran Associations and executive chair of The War Amps). Our government made a promise to veterans that we would re-instate a lifelong pension for those […]
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 […]
