Bulletin THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF VETERAN ASSOCIATIONS IN CANADA Vol. 02 • Summer 2010 In this issue... Now is Not the Time to Naval Monument • 6 Quebec City’s Historic Military Downsize VAC • 1 War Museum Acquires Two VCs • 6 Drill Hall to be Rebuilt • 8 VAC Must Stay the Course • 3 War Museum Buys Hero’s Medals • 7 Jan de Vries – Pilgrimage • 9 Ste. Anne’s Hospital Update • 4 Nine Monuments Set to be Restored • 7 Book Corner • 10 Canadian Navy Centennial • 6 Burma Star Association Eastern Ontario Aboriginal Veterans Day • 11 Branch Retires its Colours • 8 Snapshots of War • 12 NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO DOWNSIZE VAC There has been considerable speculation in the The National Council of Veteran Associations media of late in relation to the potential downsizing (NCVA) stated today that now is not the time to of Veterans Affairs Canada and the overall downsize Veterans Affairs Canada. performance of the Department in responding to the needs of Canadian veterans. This comes in response to a July 14 article in The Globe and Mail that reports the Government is This has included prominent articles in The considering downsizing the Department as a cost- Globe and Mail and the Ottawa Citizen, to which saving measure. A subsequent article in the July 24 NCVA responded with letters to the editor and by Ottawa Citizen suggests the Government and senior issuing a news release outlining our position and public servants have failed Canada’s veterans insofar expressing our serious concerns on this extremely as the financial support and benefits available to these important subject. The release has been widely returning disabled soldiers. circulated to media across Canada, as well as to senior governmental officials. Brian Forbes, Secretary General of the 58 member- group NCVA, points out that, although Canada’s In our opinion, any decision to diminish the role traditional veterans are unfortunately aging, VAC of VAC is totally unacceptable and represents a continues to have significant responsibilities to the fundamental breach of the government’s legal and more than 155,000 veterans who served Canada moral commitment to valiant and courageous during the Second World War and Korea. Canadian veterans. “Many are presently suffering from their service-related The text of the news release follows: disabilities together with other medical concerns brought on by the ravages of age. The Government, VETERANS GROUP SAYS NOW IS NOT through the various programs administered by VAC, THE TIME TO DOWNSIZE VETERANS provides appropriate health care benefits, long-term AFFAIRS care funding and related services such as the Veterans NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 2 • Summer 2010 • 1 Independence Program to alleviate the needs of these and intensive in order to address these multi-faceted unique and special Canadians,” Mr. Forbes said. problems.” NCVA points out that there also are tens of thousands Of significance is that the New Veterans Charter of widows in our traditional veterans’ community, remains a work in progress. NCVA sits on a and VAC has an ongoing obligation under veterans’ Committee established by VAC known as the New legislation to take care of not only our veterans, but Veterans Charter Advisory Group together with other their dependants in recognition of their incredible stakeholders, leading academics and governmental service and sacrifice. officials. Regulatory and policy consultation have been pursued to ensure that the substantive provisions “These remarkable women need our financial in the new legislation satisfy the objectives of the support and the benefits available under the Veterans reform. It has been NCVA’s focus to support the Pension Act, the War Veterans Allowance Act and policy that priority is attached to Seriously Disabled the health care programs that are applicable to their Veterans emanating from regular force experience. current circumstances,” Mr. Forbes said. “In a great number of cases, the widows of our most seriously Over the last two and a half years, the Advisory disabled veterans have acted as caregivers for many, Group has carried out a study of the New Veterans many years, and now require our attention to ensure Charter and completed a report last summer which that their financial and personal well-being is looked has been delivered to the VAC Minister. It concludes after.” that, although the New Charter has been reasonably effective in meeting the needs of the Regular “The job of VAC is far from over and indeed is Force members medically discharged with specific entering a significant phase.” disabilities, there remain a number of substantial gaps and voids which require further legislative and As pointed out in The Globe and Mail article, regulatory amendments. A commitment was made Mr. Keith Coulter, a former Deputy Minister, by the Government, and particularly VAC, that the has recently submitted a report to VAC. It was Charter would be considered a living document NCVA’s understanding, having held a number of and that such revisions would be given appropriate meetings with Mr. Coulter, that he was appointed consideration so as to fully satisfy the objectives of the to evaluate the future of VAC and, specifically, how new legislation. it was to accommodate veterans and families of all demographics. “This basic principle was fundamental to our support for the Charter, and NCVA has recently written VAC administers two major pieces of legislation – the to the VAC Minister, the Honourable Jean-Pierre original Pension Act for the traditional veteran and the Blackburn, indicating that we would call on the New Veterans Charter for the modern-day veteran. At Government in furtherance of its commitment to the same time, Health Care Benefits, VIP Programs address the substantial recommendations made by the and all other related policies are administered by the Advisory Group through this recently released report. Department for all veterans and their families. A failure to do so would reflect, in our respectful submission, a serious betrayal of this commitment,” “It is quite clear that extensive financial and human Mr. Forbes said. resources are required of the Department due to the influx of disabled veterans returning from Afghanistan As a major representative of many of the traditional and earlier Canadian military missions,” said Mr. veterans’ organizations, with members suffering from Forbes. “Once again, given the physical, mental and serious disabilities, NCVA has taken the position that psychological concerns confronting these returning the New Veterans Charter should be augmented to veterans, the job of VAC will become more complex consider the plight of the Regular Force member who is medically disabled with a “catastrophic injury.” 2 • NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 2 • Summer 2010 Although it is recognized that the combined effects of the Disability Award, the Earnings Loss Benefit and the Permanent Impairment Allowance will be potentially of financial assistance to such an individual member, NCVA strongly believes that a further form of compensation is required in order to fully recognize the significant incapacity suffered in these circumstances, and has been recently working actively with senior officials of VAC with the intent of structuring such an award which, in NCVA’s view, can be modeled on the Exceptional Incapacity Allowance provisions contained in the original Pension Act. It remains NCVA’s high priority as part and parcel of its involvement with the New Veterans Charter Advisory Group to ensure that VAC also fulfills the Government’s commitment to traditional veterans and that the new Program’s development does not lead to any reduction in future benefits and services provided to traditional veterans and their dependants. “It is rather self-evident that VAC has a significant and complex mandate to carry out for all Canadian veterans, both traditional and modern-day. This is no time to be suggesting any diminishment in the role and responsibility of the Department,” Mr. Forbes concludes. “Canada’s obligation to our Armed Forces, of whom we have asked so much, requires that VAC be retained as a substantive Government presence for the foreseeable future. The idea that it would be viewed as a target in the overall evaluation of the Government deficit is totally unacceptable and a fundamental breach of our legal and moral commitment to valiant and courageous members of the Canadian Forces.” VAC Must Stay the Course The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada, responded to speculation on the future of VAC by stating that the Department will not be closed or merged with the Department of National Defence, but that there will inevitably be future cuts due to diminishing numbers of elderly veterans. NCVA responded to his comments with the following letter to the editor, published in the Ottawa Citizen on August 9 (see right). NCVA Bulletin • Vol. 2 • Summer 2010 • 3 Ste. Anne’s Hospital Update It is coming up on one year since confirmation was the Department of Veterans Affairs, Richard Neville, received that Veterans Affairs Canada had begun and have learned that the target date for this transfer preliminary discussions on transferring control of is tentatively March 2013. We have also taken the Canada’s last veterans’ hospital to the province of opportunity to impress upon Mr. Neville the nature Quebec. of the specific issues that we feel are material to this evaluation and the fact that a basic pre-requisite to any NCVA has since issued a number of news releases possibility of a transfer would be an iron-clad Transfer expressing its concerns with this move, and continues Agreement with a strong, enforceable commitment as to monitor the situation closely. The following is to the question of priority access beds, level of care an update as of summer 2010 from Brian Forbes: and bilingual language services. As discussed at our recent Annual Meeting, we I am including a recent letter (see facing page) I received continue to express our concerns to Veterans Affairs from the Minister in response to my correspondence, Canada surrounding the potential transfer of Ste.