Re: Letters / Opinions

by Marshall Fri 18 Oct 2019, 9:39 am

Veterans Affairs troubles not the fault of Liberal gov’t

BY LETTER TO THE EDITOR ON OCTOBER 18, 2019.

I recently read a post on Facebook that showed veterans slamming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government for saying “veterans are asking for more than the government is able to give them.”

I am a veteran and served the Canadian Armed Forces/Navy for 27 years. I would just like to add “my two cents” to this issue. When I reached the age of 65 years, it was the Conservative government that, in its eminent wisdom (?), decided to claw back veterans’ pensions upon the veteran reaching 65 years of age. I would also like to remind any veterans in Alberta and other parts of Canada that it was under the Harper Conservatives that Harper refused to give veterans back their full military pension.

Our local Conservative MP, at the time, told me “the government couldn’t afford the cost” – even though this was an employee/employer pension fund. Under Prime Minister Harper, hundreds of Veterans Affairs employees were let go and many Veterans Affairs offices were closed, forcing veterans across Canada to travel further for necessary services. They also stopped full life disability pensions for veterans whilst taking billions of dollars (no exaggeration) out of the Veterans Pension Fund. If this wasn’t enough, it was the Harper government that also had the nerve to give the Canada Pension executives million-dollar bonuses after this board cost the veterans and taxpayers several billion dollars in failed investments.

Unlike what is being protested by some Alberta veterans, during the past four years under the Liberal government, Prime Minister Trudeau has at least attempted to address veterans’ issues. The Liberal government has reopened nine Veterans Affairs offices across Canada. He has increased the veterans’ survival benefit to 70 per cent. When looked at from a more balanced perspective of which government has addressed veterans’ affairs and issues, during the past 15 years it has been the Conservative government that has tried to suppress and reduce Veterans Affairs and supports whilst the Liberal government in the past four years has attempted to address and reinstate supports and benefits for veterans.

This is not intended to be a plug nor endorsement for the Liberals but the facts do not support this group of Alberta veterans (if indeed they are veterans) that throw the blame for the state of Veteran Affairs solely on the sitting government.

Tom Walton

Captain (ret’d)

Lethbridge

https://lethbridgeherald.com/commentary/letters-to-the-editor/2019/10/18/veterans-affairs-troubles-not-the-fault-of-liberal-govt/

by Maxstar Fri 01 Nov 2019, 8:55 am

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 5dbb5567177af.image

Canadians are failing our veterans

Oct 31. 2019

Dear Editor:

Nov. 11 is a good time to remind ourselves that Canadians are failing veterans.

Our Liberal and Conservative governments refuse to do the right thing and pay veterans what they are owed. In this region, MPs from the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) have the power to fix this. But that isn’t going to happen unless CPC supporters stand up for veterans.

On Remembrance Day call your MP and tell them to do whatever it takes, including working with the Liberal government, to get veterans what they are owed.

Many Canadians sacrificed their lives, limbs and/or minds while serving this country. So it shouldn’t be too much to ask CPC supporters to take a few minutes to call their MP to remind them of this.

Barbara Cousins

Enderby

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/opinion/article_3f951dd6-fc27-11e9-a8b8-2fac31b1f86c.html

by Rifleman Sat 02 Nov 2019, 2:35 pm

Who gives a rats ass what previous governments did there all a bunch of lying back stabbers my concern is now and what platform promises that were broken on the veterans file ie BRING BACK THE OLD PENSION ACT PREVIOUS 2006 not this bandage they call PFL that does not help all veterans some improvements have been made but in my opinion it falls short of the old tax free pension prior to 2006 ONE VETERAN ONE STANDARD

by **Trooper** Sat 02 Nov 2019, 6:49 pm

Rifleman wrote:Who gives a rats ass what previous governments did there all a bunch of lying back stabbers my concern is now and what platform promises that were broken on the veterans file ie BRING BACK THE OLD PENSION ACT PREVIOUS 2006 not this bandage they call PFL that does not help all veterans some improvements have been made but in my opinion it falls short of the old tax free pension prior to 2006 ONE VETERAN ONE STANDARD

Unfortunately we are at the mercy of our government in how disabled Veterans are treated with respect to benefits available to us.

Rifleman, I too would like them to return the pension act. In today's system we don't see anything close to what is beneficial within the pension act. What we are seeing today is a system that is based more or less on services to disabled Veterans, and non disabled Veterans. These services is what replaced the pension act pre 2006. This gives them a good PR perception on what our government is spending on Veterans.

It's not likely we will ever see the return of the pension act. What I would like to see now is Veterans understanding the way our government smoothly screwed over disabled Veterans in this Country by taken the pension act away. For me as long as I'm alive, I will continue to spread the word on exactly how our government screwed over disabled Veterans.

Lastly the deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs was the only person who was in the position to return the pension act. He let us down, he betrayed us all. He is by far the most disloyal public figure towards disabled Veterans in this Country.

by Rifleman Sat 02 Nov 2019, 10:43 pm

Totally agree Trooper

by Jackal Thu 07 Nov 2019, 1:32 pm

OPINION » EDITORIAL November 07, 2019

Veterans still fighting

By Clare Ogilvie

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 Opinion_editorial1-1-39c1c4e1940bcc42

EVERY DAY is Remembrance Day for our veterans.

That's worth keeping in mind as you go about your daily routine. Imagine for a moment that, as you fire off that important work email, wrap up a presentation and pick the kids up from school, you found your mind suddenly focusing on friends killed in combat, or the struggle to get financial support from our government, or the words of a therapist helping you find reasons to live.

That is reality for many veterans.

I had hoped that federal election would have tackled some of the ongoing issues faced by veterans with solid plans put forward by the various parties to help.

But the issues barely graced the platforms.

Now, here we are with the Liberal Party back in power—a party that is still struggling to deal with the broken 2015 election promise around the idea of a pension for life.

That promise left many former soldiers with the impression that there would be a wholesale return to pensions-for-life, and that the terms would return to the former Pension Act. It has not worked out that way, with the Parliamentary Budget Office commenting that the program will only be slightly more generous than the one it replaces, but not a match for the pre-2006 system.

Indeed, veterans have been weighted down by decisions made in Ottawa by the previous Conservative and Liberal governments. Under the Harper Conservatives, Veterans Affairs offices were closed and workers laid off. After the 2015 election, the Liberals re-opened some offices and hired staff, but the backlogs remain and are substantial. Tens of thousands of veterans are waiting for disability benefits.

Many veterans still feel stung by the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a 2017 townhall meeting where he said former soldiers were, "asking for more than we are able to give right now."

Said Brian Forbes, chair of the National Council of Veterans Associations, "The outrage from that comment is still palpable.

"There are veterans who've never forgotten that exchange."

Imagine if those who serve used that retort when asked to put their lives on the line.

This time around, Trudeau has made new promises to our veterans focusing on wellness and moving away from the issue of pensions.

He has offered veterans up to $3,000 in free counselling services before a disability claim is required, the most common disability applications (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and arthritis) will automatically be approved, there will be outreach to every Canadian veteran to make sure they get effective and timely mental health help, and $15 million has been committed toward building new, purpose-built accessible and affordable housing units.

Every year, about 3,000 veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP use the services of an emergency shelter—what they need is not barrack short-term housing, but a place where they can get their lives back in order and feel supported.

Nearly two out of five veterans report some form of mental-health challenge—nearly double the Canadian average, but today, only about 10 per cent of veterans who need mental-health support get the help they need from Veterans Affairs Canada.

Let's hope, and press for, the Liberals to keep their promises on this front to our veterans.

Canada has a social contract with those who serve on the frontlines, whether it is the military or our other service-related agencies.

Our government needs to honour that contract.

As we gather this Remembrance Day at our cenotaph, now located at Olympic Plaza, let's step out of our comfort zone and try and imagine what it must be like to experience war and violence. My hope is that considering this will make each of us more open-minded, welcoming and considerate of those who have experiences that change their lives.

Canada has so much to offer; with peace one of its greatest assets. Cherish that this Nov. 11.

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/veterans-still-fighting/Content?oid=14622049

by Riverway Mon 11 Nov 2019, 4:51 pm

Veterans need more than two minutes of Remembrance Day silence from Corporate Canada

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 10, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-corporate-canada-needs-to-do-much-more-to-support-veterans-on-their/

by **Falcon** Mon 18 Nov 2019, 9:16 am

Letters to The Province, Nov. 18, 2019: Why is a war veteran always portrayed as a white man?

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 M-_sun0509-chinavets3

Why is a war veteran always portrayed as a white man, asks Leslie Michael.

Don Cherry, in his rant, said something that all of us should pay attention to. Referring to veterans, he said, “These guys paid for your way of life, the life you enjoy in Canada. These guys paid the biggest price.”

Just who are these guys? In the Second World War, when Western Europe was overrun by the Nazis and France fell like a house of cards in six weeks, most people are of the opinion that Britain stood alone. That is not historically accurate. There was Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India (that included present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh) and Nepal. How many people are aware that India not only fought against Nazi Germany but also Imperial Japan?

Members of the famed Queen’s Gurkha Regiment were the only ones the Japanese feared when they overran Southeast Asia. I wonder if Don Cherry would be able to find Nepal on a map of the world. In the Pacific, the Philippines faced the might and brutal onslaught of the Japanese that drove Gen. Douglas MacArthur out. But the soldiers of the Philippines fought courageously and helped Gen. MacArthur to keep his famous promise: “I shall return!”

At Iwo Jima, one of the men who helped raise the American flag was an American Indian. When he and his fellow American Indians returned home after the war, they were denied veterans’ benefits because they were considered “stateless.”

And we should remember the blacks who fought valiantly despite the unjust and cruel discrimination and bigotry of that era.

Leslie Michael, Maple Ridge

https://theprovince.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-province-nov-18-2019-why-is-a-war-veteran-always-portrayed-as-a-white-man

by Marshall Tue 03 Dec 2019, 4:27 pm

OPINION: Remembering Canadian service in the Italian Campaign

03.12.2019

https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/local-perspectives/opinion-remembering-canadian-service-in-the-italian-campaign-383726/

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 LM_Italy_Stewart_large

by Viper Wed 11 Dec 2019, 8:28 am

Forgotten pension benefits for Canada's veterans

12.11.2019

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/local-perspectives/letter-forgotten-pension-benefits-for-canadas-veterans-386547/

by Magnum Sat 29 Feb 2020, 8:26 am

COLUMN: Former Maritime MLA co-launches Veterans for MacKay

Feb 29. 2020

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 5e574ffadc406.image

Brian Macdonald, a retired military man and politician, is actively recruiting veterans and military to support Peter MacKay in his bid for the Conservative leadership.

Brian Macdonald, who served his country for 15 years in the military, has an impressive resume.

A Royal Military College graduate with a Masters degree from the London School of Economics, Macdonald was an MLA in Fredericton for two terms and got his feet wet in politics as policy advisor to Peter MacKay when the latter was Canada's Minister of National Defence.

Macdonald's latest project is co-founding Veterans for MacKay, a grass roots movement to encourage present and retired military members to support MacKay in his bid for the Conservative leadership.

While MacKay is expected to pick up a lot of the progressive members, Macdonald insists he has solid core support from the military. Educating people on the process is often a challenge and that's what Macdonald is hoping to do.

"A lot of veterans support Peter MacKay," said Macdonald, who served in Bosnia with the Canadian Army and in Iraq with the British Army.

"He's Canada's longest-serving wartime minister of national defence. He was our minister throughout the conflict in Afghanistan. He took a personal interest in our veterans, making it a habit to visit troops in the field. I was in Afghanistan on two different Christmas Days with Peter. He was away from family and could celebrate Christmas anywhere in the world, but chose to be with the troops."

In his own opinion, Macdonald said the No. 1 issue for serving military is maintaining and improving equipment. For veterans, it's transitioning to life as a civilian.

In an interview, unlike most Conservatives, Macdonald wasn't overly critical of Justin Trudeau.

"I'm disappointed with some of the initiatives of the Trudeau government. I have some concerns on the equipment front. I'm concerned about fighter jets. Refitting the navy is a key priority and they're not moving fast enough on that very-important file."

In addition to veterans and serving military, Macdonald said Mackay supports organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion and the Army Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada.

"During my years with Peter, we visited a lot of Legions together, especially in small-town Nova Scotia where he's from. He understands first-hand the struggles Legions have keeping their doors open. Anything we can do to encourage veterans to join the Legion now is a good initative. Legions support veterans, we all know that. But they are also an important part of aby community, especially in rural areas where it's often a meeting place for people and a social hub."

Macdonald started a website (veteransformackay.ca) and encourages veterans to join the Conservative party and sign up before the April 17 deadline. The membership fee is $15.

"Everywhere I've travelled with Peter, veterans and people in the military want to shake his hand and say thank you. As defence minister, Peter broke his back to see that our military had the resources and equipment to do the job. Here's a chance for them to show their appreciation by joining the party and voting for him for the leadership."

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/opinion/article_a9264a9a-591f-11ea-b219-ffb10bb44bb1.html

by Silversun Sun 01 Mar 2020, 5:35 pm

Federal governments, one after another,
fail to properly support Canadian Forces
veterans

March 1. 2020

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 RemembranceDay12_SectionFront_web___Super_Portrait

A veteran is often viewed as honourable and courageous. In a situation of danger, when everyone is fleeing, they are the first ones through the door, willing to give their lives for the safety of others.

However, when they leave the armed forces, they’re left feeling like they’re on the outside of society. Successive federal governments, one after another, have failed to properly support our veterans.

Our politicians keep pushing out legislation that changes and reduces our veterans’ services. For example, the “Education Training Plan” was designed to help fund the education of service members to help them get degrees and other job requirements for careers outside the military.

However, the plan that came out in April 2018 was a cut-down version from what was promised. This plan was filled with lots of exclusions to disqualify veterans for several reasons, including anyone with less than six years of service.

Moreover, if you are in a rehabilitation program or on Canadian Forces income support, you are disqualified. Another aspect where the Canadian government has let down our veterans is with the transition of the former pension plans to a lower lump sum payment.

This payment was then changed back to a pension plan format that effectively was the original lump sum paid over a period of time. This change merely mitigated the cost to the government, at the cost of veterans receiving reduced and insufficient funding.

Statistics from the “Life After Service Survey” from 2016 demonstrates that 42% of our veterans released between 2012-2015 find it very difficult to adjust back to regular life. Meanwhile, more than 50% of Junior Non-Commissioned-Members have a self-rated mental health worse than fair.

About 45 per cent of them feel the skills they learned don’t transfer to civilian life, and 52 per cent are making less than $50,000 per year after leaving the military. This survey clearly demonstrates that half of the young people leaving the military are not receiving the support required to transition appropriately to civilian life.

My grandfather was in the military for eight years as a combat engineer. The military was testing a new chemical, Agent Orange, which is a very strong defoliation agent known to cause cancer. He has now been battling cancer for over 20 years while stacking up medical bills that are not covered by his Air Canada pension and medical coverage.

The Canadian government has assisted in covering these medical bills — by paying out a grand total of $75 — for injuries resulting from his loyal service.

These are issues that are very hard to fix, but there are a few ways to help move things in the right direction. Firstly, veterans should have better access to mental health doctors, as well as sufficient medical funding for prosthetics and other necessities.

Secondly, the government should provide veterans with better representation in their decisions regarding military funding after service. Lastly, the government should give veterans better long-term financial help via better pensions and grants for education and housing. These courageous and honourable people deserve our support in transitioning back to civilian life. This is the least our country can do to give back to those who have given so much of their lives for our country.

Ryan Stewart

Orangeville, ON

https://www.orangeville.com/opinion-story/9871398-federal-governments-one-after-another-fail-to-properly-support-canadian-forces-veterans/

by **Spider** Wed 11 Mar 2020, 7:50 am

GUEST COMMENTARY: Finding Lexington’s WWII vets

By E. Ashley Rooney
Posted Mar 10, 2020

The Lexington Remembers Committee has been working on finding the veterans from this war. It was quite simple when we tackled WWI; we even had a plaque with names on it and trees to memorialize our fallen. We had many pictures, but WWII was different.

There were no pictures of would-be recruits standing on the Green ready to go to war. There was no list of those who went. And there were several plaques (one in the Library, another in LHS) of the fallen, but they had different names and different counts. Perhaps that is because the Pearl Harbor attack pushed an unprepared country into a terrifying new brand of warfare. Soon after the Japanese attack, German U boats were sinking hundreds of US merchant ships- some right off the American coast. In the Pacific. Japan’s forces far outweighed those of the United States.

The committee has been compiling the list of Lexington WWII vets and developing an eAlbum of the 59 fallen. We have found some wonderful stories. There was John Ayvazian, who volunteered for the draft in 1943: “When I was getting on the train to go to Ft. Devins, I was laughing, and my mother was crying. It was a big adventure for me. I always wanted to get into the Air Force.”

John became a navigator at a base northeast of London. Every group had three squadrons; every squadron had 12 bombers. Sometimes, there were over 2000 planes in the air. John flew B17s and B24s.

“I didn’t have time to get scared. The only time I got jumpy was when we started off on a mission,” he said. “Of course, our nose gunner never fired his gun when I expected it. So to this day I still jump when there’s a loud noise behind me. Basically, the only way I saw anyone getting hurt was when a plane would get hit. A plane would break up into three balls of flame. We were instructed to watch for a parachute.”

Chuck French, who is supervising the committee’s research, comments, “We found a male Canadian national living in Lexington who got his pilot’s license before he was old enough to get his driving license. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. We had one female Canadian national who was raised in Lexington. She tried to join the service in Canada but they were not accepting women so she joined the WAVES. One of the stories we have from the VFW archives stated that 60 women from Lexington joined the military. That last time I counted we have the names and records of 53 of the them.” One was William W, Stevens an Aviation Machinist Mate frim 77 Brant St. He was the only lexingtonian (we have found) who served on the USS Lexington.

In the course of compiling the list of “Lexington WWII vets, the committee discovered there were two kinds of Lexington vets: Those that had just graduated from LHS and those that moved to Lexington after the war. As a result, the committee has compiled three lists. To the best of our knowledge there are 59 residents who joined the military and did not return.

With the blessing of the selectmen, we are raising funds to place a plaque next to the WW I plaque in Cary Hall. There is a list of 1,422 Lexington residents that served in the military during WW II and an additional list of 36 vets that moved to Lexington after the War. In addition to this list, there are over 50 video interviews under “Lexington Remembers” on Youtube.com. We are continuing to add to this collection with WW II veterans and Lexington Homefront interviews.

Do you have any information, photos or other “treasures” that you want to share to honor your relatives? Please join the Lexington Remembers WWII Committee from 4-6 p.m. March 11 in Room 237 in the Lexington Community Center.

We are also seeking stories from “The Home Front” and from those who survived and came to live here. For more info, contact WWTWOLexington@gmail.com.

https://lexington.wickedlocal.com/news/20200310/guest-commentary-finding-lexingtons-wwii-vets

by **SniperGod** Mon 06 Apr 2020, 4:49 pm

Jay Rankin on COVID-19: We need more troops at home to prepare for the double whammy of natural disasters and coronavirus

Special to National Post
Jay Rankin

April 6, 2020

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jay-rankin-on-covid-19-bring-our-troops-home-to-prepare-for-the-double-whammy-of-natural-disasters-and-coronavirus

by **SniperGod** Tue 28 Apr 2020, 9:38 am

LETTERS: Delta’s Korean War veterans encouraged to share their stories

APRIL 27, 2020

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 Bob-orrick-honoured

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the commencement of the 37-month-long Korean War, June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, and the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong, both of which are not well known by Canadians, nor is the Korean War, a topic of history classes in Canadian high schools across the land; nor for that matter, in the United States as well.

Those two points are facts, not fiction, but both are historical points that can be turned into known facts to go along with other Canadian military accomplishments worldwide such as Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach, the Battle of Chrysler Farm, South Africa, Liberation of the Netherlands, the six-year Battle of the Atlantic and other events in which Canadians were front and centre such as the Devil’s Brigade, Dam Busters and the Battle of Britain.

It is my intention, which I have addressed with Optimist publisher Matt Blair, to commission a full-page coverage of the Korean War centred on personal comments from Delta area veterans of the war, coupled, hopefully, with support from local businesses to appear in a June edition, preferably on Thursday, June 25, the actual anniversary commencement date.

To that end, I request Korean War veterans who reside in Delta to contact me at cysrcn@gmail.com within the next 21 days to discuss further their contribution.

To add emphasis to this cause, it ought to be known the average age of a Canadian Korean War veteran is in the late 80s or early 90s and as the 75th anniversary is five years away, there is reason to believe not many of the 27,000 Canadian army, navy, air force, merchant marine and Canadian Red Cross nurses who served will be alive to celebrate the 75th, in that Korean War veterans, on average, die about five years younger age than do Second World War veterans. Strange but true according to DVA records.

So, the appeal to Korean War veterans to assist in addressing this oversight in the history of Canada is front and centre.

When I was designated as the national public information officer of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, Inc., I was given three tasks: [1] to educate Canadians that there was the Korean War; [2] to educate Canadians, including media and politicians, that Canada was a participant; and [3] to educate Canadians that Canadians performed magnificently.

It has been a long, hard-fought correspondence battle over 30 years fraught with many disappointments but the cause remains and needs local support from veterans, media and businesses. Two persons of prominence have assisted: initially Vicki Huntington, ex-MLA, and current MLA Ian Paton. To each, I am thankful for their support.

Now, on to the next hill to conquer -- to live long enough to see success.

Bob Orrick

Letters / Opinions - Page 6 916227195

https://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/letters/letters-delta-s-korean-war-veterans-encouraged-to-share-their-stories-1.24123780

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