Home‘Veterans probably won’t vote Liberal for a very long time’
Page 1 of 1
‘Veterans probably won’t vote Liberal for a very long time’
by Replica Wed 15 May 2019, 10:43 am
‘Veterans probably won’t vote Liberal for a very long time’: Norman case reflects Grits’ failed promises to vets, say advocates
By NEIL MOSS MAY. 15, 2019
By NEIL MOSS MAY. 15, 2019
The Mark Norman affair serves as the culmination of the government’s poor performance on the veterans affairs file, veterans advocates say.
During the 2015 election, the Liberals actively sought the vote of veterans, who typically have supported the Conservatives, vets’ advocates say, but they say election promises have gone unkept.
The treatment of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman by the government is another sign of the Liberals’ negligence of veterans and service members, they said.
“[The Norman affair] is frankly festering the situation to a point where it’s very unlikely that the veterans community, I feel, is going to turn to the Liberal government as they did during the last election,” said Michael Blais, president of Canadian Veterans Advocacy, who served in the Canadian Forces from 1977 to 1993.
Vice-Admiral Norman was accused of leaking cabinet secrets in the midst of threatened delay on a much-needed $688-million Navy supply ship procurement. Vice-Admiral Norman, who was then the vice-chief of defence staff, was charged with breach of trust to which he pleaded not guilty. On May 8, the Crown stayed the charges.
“I am confident, that at all times, I acted with integrity. I acted ethically. And I acted in the best interest of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Forces, and ultimately the people of Canada,” Vice-Admiral Norman said after leaving the courthouse last week.
Vice-Admiral Norman was suspended from the Canadian Forces in January 2017, but wasn’t charged until March 2018. He had previously unsuccessfully asked the government for help with his legal bills. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.) said last week that the government would cover the bills. Mr. Sajjan told CTV that he felt “regret” over what Vice-Admiral Norman had to go through.
Speaking to reporters after his charges were stayed, Vice-Admiral Norman became emotional when he talked about the most difficult moments of the experience.
“One of the hardest parts, on an emotional level, was to receive letters and donations from World War Two veterans giving me $5 to help my legal fees,” Vice-Admiral Norman said.
Sean Bruyea, a veterans advocate and a former officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, said veterans’ support for Vice-Admiral Norman comes from the alienation that has been prompted by successive Liberal governments, under Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien, and now Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.).
Last year, Mr. Bruyea filed a defamation suit against former veterans affairs minister Seamus O’Regan (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, N.L.) following a column Mr. O’Regan authored in The Hill Times in response to Mr. Bruyea’s own Hill Times op-ed about veterans’ benefits.
The lawsuit alleged a published opinion piece Mr. O’Regan wrote was defamatory because it said Mr. Bruyea was a “liar” and was “deliberately untruthful to serve a dishonest personal agenda,” according to court documents.
In response, government lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case under provincial legislation meant to protect freedom of speech in public-interest matters against lawsuits intended to silence critics, the so-called anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) law.
A judge dismissed the case in September, but Mr. Bruyea is appealing the decision.
“Veterans really rallied behind [the idea] that this was a Liberal government that was using Mark Norman as a scapegoat for their own political problems, as opposed to truly prosecuting someone that was supposedly guilty of the crime,” Mr. Bruyea said, adding that matters of integrity and its importance in the military were at the heart of support the vice-admiral received from active service members and veterans.
He said it can be viewed as confirmation among veterans and service members of the “disdain” that Liberal governments have long been viewed to have held for the military.
Mr. Blais said if the Liberals don’t address their shortcomings on veterans issues, they will lose the support of veterans for the next generation.
David Soule, executive director of the Naval Association of Canada and a 37-year veteran of the Navy, said the Norman case could be an election issue for some veterans and service members.
“For some individuals,” Mr. Soule said, the Norman case “may just confirm their suspicions of the government.”
In 2015, the Liberals promised to reinstate pensions for life for veterans in lieu of lump sum payments, but veteran advocates say the government’s plan, which was unveiled at the end of 2017, is inadequate.
The promises came after criticisms of the performance of Conservative veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino after he made the decision to close regional veterans affairs offices, as well as the Harper government’s inadequate support for veterans’ mental health services.
Mr. Fantino was criticized for his heated confrontations with veterans.
Mr. Blais said in certain situations there have been improvements under the Liberals that have led to “definitive impact” on the quality of life of Canadian veterans compared to the Conservatives.
As of March 2017, there were an estimated 658,000 veterans living in Canada, in addition to 68,000 regular and 27,000 reserve force serving members.
In 2015, Mr. Bruyea wrote of the Conservatives in the Ottawa Citizen that “not since the 1920s has a governing party so mismanaged the care of Canada’s veterans that all political parties would include veterans’ promises in their platforms.”
But he told The Hill Times the Liberals’ handling of the veterans affairs file has been worse “by far” than it was during the Harper years.
“I think veterans probably won’t vote Liberal for a very long time,” Mr. Bruyea said. “Their treatment of Mark Norman just confirms and solidifies their feelings of betrayal.”
Grits struggling to build ‘compelling’ veterans story, says Tim Powers
Mr. Blais said it remains unknown what veterans policies Conservatives will be forwarding.
“[Veterans] are caught in a position where neither the Conservatives or the NDP are offering anything that will compare to the Liberal mandate,” he said. “Despite the Liberal flaws, it’s better than what we had with Conservative rule.”
Mr. Soule said for many, the whole affair was “bizarre,” as it seemed like a political issue between the Liberals and Conservatives, in which Vice-Admiral Norman was caught in the middle.
He said he wouldn’t link the Norman case to any other Liberal defence or veterans affairs policies, as there’s no one he’s heard from that thinks there’s a conspiracy against military members and veterans, adding there’s always complaints about any party that is in government.
Tim Powers, a former aide to Conservative leaders and vice-chair of Summa Strategies, said he didn’t think the Norman case will shape election outcomes, but added the Liberals’ shortcomings on veterans issues will be wrapped into a general disregard they have for people in uniform to create a narrative in the election.
Mr. Powers said the veterans affairs portfolio is one in which they have struggled to build a “strong, compelling story,” citing the four veterans affairs ministers that the Liberals have had in four years.
Kent Hehr (Calgary Centre, Alta.) was first appointed to the cabinet post in 2015, but was replaced by Mr. O’Regan in 2017. Mr. O’Regan was replaced by the now-Independent Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, B.C.) in January. She resigned from the post less than a month into her appointment in the midst of the SNC-Lavalin affair and was replaced by seasoned Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.). There has also been an acting minister for the file, with Mr. Sajjan holding the role earlier this year before a permanent replacement was found following Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s resignation from cabinet.
Mr. Powers said it’s a tough portfolio with active and able stakeholders.
He and former NDP staffer Karl Bélanger said that the Liberals won’t be damaged as much by the case if it had gone to trial.
“By the time the election comes around, unless the opposition finds a way to keep this file alive, I do not know that it will be meaningful to most voters, even veterans, especially when you look at other issues that are affecting military and former military members and their families,” Mr. Bélanger said.
The Hill Times
Replica- CF Coordinator
- Posts : 399
Join date : 2018-10-02
Similar topics» Defending Liberal record on veterans
» Liberal government plan saves money at expense of veterans
» Rehab contract sparks fresh battle between veterans and the Liberal government
» It's Time For Washington To Help Veterans Access Cannabis
» Time is running out for Scarborough's Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans
» Liberal government plan saves money at expense of veterans
» Rehab contract sparks fresh battle between veterans and the Liberal government
» It's Time For Washington To Help Veterans Access Cannabis
» Time is running out for Scarborough's Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum