Bulletin THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF VETERAN ASSOCIATIONS IN CANADA Vol. 03 • Fall 2010 In this issue... Merchant Navy Bar • 7 At your service… • 10 NCVA Annual General Meeting • 1 VAC Announcements a Good First Step • 8 Canadian Army Newsreels Released • 11 New Veterans Ombudsman • 4 Kirsty Duncan – Liberal Party Veterans Affairs Critic • 9 Monuments Committee Update • 12 Hong Kong Veteran Initiatives • 5 Veterans with Lou Gehrig’s to Get Benefits • 10 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion • 12 NCVA Annual General Meeting Toronto was the site of the 2010 NCVA Annual General Meeting on October 20. The meeting was very well attended. NCVA Secretary General Brian Forbes welcomed those attending and commenced the meeting by generally outlining recent developments concerning speculation as to the downsizing of Veterans Affairs Canada and the overall performance of the department in responding to the needs of Canadian veterans. He indicated that a “window of opportunity” has been created as a consequence of the intense scrutiny that has been applied to VAC, and that NCVA was taking advantage of this opportunity to aggressively pursue a number of ongoing concerns which have formed part and parcel of the Association’s Legislative Agenda for the past few years. The Secretary General added that, although much of the media attention has been focused on the plight of modern-day veterans and the application of the New Veterans Charter, there still remain a number of specific concerns that impact on the traditional veterans’ community which require prioritized attention. Recent meetings with the Minister of Veterans Affairs and senior VAC officials have produced positive movement on a number of issues delineated in NCVA’s Legislative Program, and the Secretary General underlined that the collective strength of our organization was not without significance in this continual pursuit of legislative reform. Officers The officers for the coming year are: Secretary General: Brian N. Forbes Vice-Chairmen: Gene Heesaker, Canadian Corps Association Derrill Henderson, Hong Kong Veterans Association and Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association Honorary Chairman for Life: Cliff Chadderton (It is noted that long-serving Vice-Chairman Les Peate has had some recent medical difficulties and reluctantly advised that he is no longer able to stand for election.) NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 3 • Fall 2010 • 1 NCVA Legislative Program Secretary General Brian Forbes introduced the proposed NCVA Legislative Program for 2010, the highlights of which follow: PART I: The Future of Veterans Affairs Canada Recommendation: That NCVA continue to insist that VAC be retained as a substantive government presence for the foreseeable future and that any decision to diminish the role of the department is totally unacceptable and represents a fundamental breach of the government’s legal and moral commitment to Canadian veterans. PART II: Legislative Developments (a) Long Term Care/Intermediary Care Recommendation: That NCVA continue to monitor the direction VAC is taking with regard to the health care review to ensure that present benefits for deserving veterans are not reduced or discontinued and that any enhancement of health care benefits through a “targeted approach” would be beneficial to the traditional veteran and his spouse. Recommendation: That NCVA continue to collaborate with VAC to ensure that intermediary care needs of the traditional veteran are addressed through the expansion of the current VIP program and long term care policy of the department so as to provide financial assistance in this area of institutionalized care. (b) VAC Adjudication and the Utilization of Presumptions LAST POST FUND/VETERANS BURIAL REGULATIONS Recommendation: That NCVA continue to pressure the Minister of Veterans Affairs to ensure that at a very minimum seriously disabled veterans entitled to a disability pension at 78% or more qualify as a matter of right under the Veterans Burial Regulations/Last Post Fund. Recommendation: That VAC in addition adopt the recommendations contained in the Veterans Ombudsman’s report of September 23, 2009 “Serve with Honour, Depart with Dignity,” to address the inequities in the program with particular reference to increasing the amount of the benefit, to widening the criteria for exemptions under the regulations, and to increasing the extent of the retroactivity as to the initiation of an application for benefits. VIP FOR LIFE FOR WIDOWS Recommendation: That NCVA continue to pressure the Minister and departmental officials to review the present policy on the continuation of VIP for life for widows with a view to providing, at a minimum, this benefit to all widows of seriously disabled veterans who are not eligible because the veteran never applied for the benefits. Recommendation: That the Minister of Veterans Affairs alter the Government’s current position so that the widows’ needs determine the benefit required (housekeeping or groundskeeping) instead of the present practice of basing the decisions on the specific VIP benefit the veteran was receiving prior to his death. 2 • NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 3 • Fall 2010 STE. ANNE’S HOSPITAL Recommendation: NCVA will continue to express the significant concerns to the Minister and the Chief Negotiator and intends to hold ongoing discussions with the Minister’s Office to protect the interest of veterans affected by this potential transfer. Recommendation: That NCVA take the position that the Federal Government retain control of the administration of Ste. Anne’s hospital while the greater majority of the residents are veterans rather than transferring the institution to the province of Quebec with the proviso that a reasonable number of non-veteran patients be admitted to those vacant beds not occupied by veterans. MARRIAGE AFTER SIXTY Recommendation: That NCVA continue to pressure the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Minister of National Defence on behalf of this particular class of widows so as to allow the spouse of a Canadian Forces retiree marrying after 60 to be eligible for survivor’s benefits without reducing the amount of superannuation in payment to the retiree. ABORIGINAL VETERANS Recommendation: That NCVA continue to support the Aboriginal Veterans and pressure the Government to provide an ex-gratia payment as compensation for benefits denied to them following their service in WWII or Korea. CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM Recommendation: NCVA has proposed that an independent board of trustees be established to oversee the operations of the Museum in accordance with the Senate Report of 1999 brought down by the Senate Sub-Committee on Veterans Affairs. The Senate Report called for a separate and independent War Museum Corporation with its own board of trustees having a significant percentage of members on the board composed of representatives from Canada’s military veterans organizations. AGENT ORANGE Recommendation: That NCVA encourage the Government to extend the application of the Agent Orange Compensation Package so as to address the concerns as to the eligibility criteria, limitation periods and ground rules for entitlement. (Note that the cut-off date for applications was October 1, 2010.) Recommendation: That NCVA continue to recommend to the Minister of Veterans Affairs that the presumptive provisions of the Pension Act should be employed by Departmental Adjudicators in evaluating the individual applications for pension by Agent Orange victims. NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 3 • Fall 2010 • 3 NEW VETERANS CHARTER Recommendation: It remains the high priority of NCVA, as part and parcel of our involvement with the New Veterans Charter Advisory Group, to ensure in addition to addressing the gaps and voids in the New Veterans Charter that the Minister of Veterans Affairs fulfills the Government commitment to traditional veterans that the new program’s development does not lead to any reduction in future benefits and services provided to traditional veterans and their dependants. As mentioned, this is a listing of the highlights. For full details, reference can be made to the Legislative Program and the Annual General Meeting minutes. The Secretary General noted that it is understood that a package of legislative amendments has reached the Minister of Veterans Affairs’ desk concerning the Last Post Fund/Veterans Burial Regulations and the longstanding concern expressed by NCVA should be addressed in the near future. He added that the Legislative Program of NCVA will be the essential focus of our organization’s direction with the Canadian Government on behalf of the traditional veterans’ community. New Veterans Ombudsman Minister of Veterans Affairs Jean-Pierre Blackburn has announced that Chief Warrant Officer (ret'd) Guy Parent will be appointed as Veterans Ombudsman for a five-year term starting on November 11, 2010. Mr. Parent served Canada for nearly four decades as a Search and Rescue Officer and as Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Forces, which is the highest appointment for a non- commissioned member. Following his retirement from the Canadian Forces in 2001, he went on to work in the offices of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman and of the Veterans Ombudsman, where he served as Director of Research and Investigations. The Veterans Ombudsman is an impartial, arms- length and independent officer who is directly accountable to the Minister. He provides advice to Veterans Affairs Canada on the well-being of veterans and their families. He has the mandate to New Veterans Ombudsman