|
|
VeteranVoice.info
VVi is
for you, all veterans, regardless of whether you belong to a
veteran organization or not. VVi is a distribution centre, a
conduit for making sure that the information you need as a veteran
is there for you in a timely fashion. Our aim is to provide a
forum for all Canadian
veterans, serving members and their families to have access to
information pertaining to veteran rights.
VVi is
an independent site,
not associated with any governmental department, agency or veteran
organization. VeteranVoice.info is maintained by independent
contributions.
|
 |
Justin Trudeau is a
Hoser
Perry Grey
Chief Editor VeteranVoice.info
(VVi)
VVi 18 Jul 2017 pd
“A few vices are sufficient
to darken many virtues”. Plutarch
"When we violate someones'
... rights and freedoms, we have an obligation as a society to
understand that's not right and we have to move forward," Kent Hehr,
Minister of Veterans Affairs July 2017
The recent news that
Omar Khadr will receive a large monetary settlement has outraged the
majority of Canadians. An enemy combatant is worth millions, while a
Canadian Veteran is worth thousands. Why the disparity? We are both
entitled to be treated the same under the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms, but no there is something known as unlimited liability,
which means that Veterans can have their rights stripped at the whim
of the government. Is this fair?
"The Charter of Rights and
Freedoms protects all Canadians, every one of us, even when it is
uncomfortable. This is not about the details or merits of the Khadr
case. When the government violates any Canadian's Charter rights we
all end up paying for it," the prime minister told reporters at the
G20 summit in July 2017.
But this is a lie as made apparent
by the government’s decision to continue the Equitas law suit in
2016. Which also broke another commitment made by Mr Trudeau that
Veterans would not have to fight its government in the courts.
The current prime minister made some pretty big commitments
during the 2015 election, including many that were to benefit the
Veterans Community. He has failed repeatedly to either deliver them
in a timely manner or worse yet cancel them
The prime
minister has once again proven that some Canadians are more equal
than others. And that should never ever happen!
This is why
he should be considered a hoser (aka a swindler or conman)
While lawyers can claim that there are legal reasons why Veterans
are entitled to less, what about the moral and ethical
responsibilities of the government to reward the guardians of all
Canadian rights and freedoms?
Why does the government believe
that it is okay for the majority of Veterans receive little or
nothing after their service? Of note, only 200,000 of the more than
700,000 are clients of Veterans Affairs. The Liberal government in
2005 decided that future clients of VAC were no longer entitled to
life time payments for pain and suffering, which the current
government said that it would re-instate, but Kent Hehr, the
Minister of Veterans Affairs, continues to ask Veterans to be
patient as delays continue. He also refuses to divulge details about
what his government will offer.
A good example in the
discrepancies in compensation is the government offer of $20,000 to
individual First Nations Veterans in 2002 for their service in WW2.
The basis of the Equitas case is that there are major
discrepancies between the benefits before 2005 and those of the NVC.
I shared an example with the Equitas plaintiffs based on a letter
that was sent to me by VAC in 2012. Based on the older Table of
Disabilities, VAC assessed a level of 81% and with the newer tables
used by the NVC the level dropped to 46%. This is a difference of
about 57%.
These are clear examples of the inequalities
practiced by our government with regards to the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms.
Some will argue that Veterans are eligible for
pensions as compensation for their service. The military pension is
not fair when compared to that of politicians and other federal
employees, nor are the terms of service as discussed below. Of
course, military personnel can not join the Union of National
Defence Employees because they are not employees (ask a lawyer to
explain the differences), so the CAF relies on the government to
determine what is fair compensation for services or injuries.
If you are fortunate to get a pension, and it is actually paid,
well it is a start. Unfortunately, some Veterans did not receive
their pension because of a problem in government financial
operations in recent years. When creditors come to collect, a
Veteran can not blame the government instead of payment. Going
months without money is a form of hardship that should be
compensated in addition to the normal pension cheques.
I
remember well the debate about the NVC lump sum back in 2004 and
2005. Politicians argued that the full amount of $250,000, if
properly managed, was sufficient. Those politicians probably assumed
that every Veteran would receive the full amount and did not have to
spend it on say wheelchair access to house and vehicle.
They
were wrong. Only 570 of 60,000 received 100% with the average
payment being about 11% ($42,000 compared to the current $360,000).
Payments of the lump sum were compared to pricing of meat in
a butcher shop, so much for leg and so much for an arm. Something
worthy of Sweeny Todd not federal bureaucrats deciding fair
compensation for service to Canada. Truly gruesome and macabre
without much respect or dignity.
By comparison, the families
of senior government officials received between $600,000 and $1.25
million in similar circumstances (using 2006 information).
Even before the NVC, thousands of Veterans had to fight to receive
compensation from a tight fisted government. The government seemed
to do everything to deny compensation, and if the government did
pay, it was never as generous as the reported Khadr settlement.
Again thousands not millions.
The government has also
used some very dishonorable tactics to avoid compensating Veterans
including defamation of outspoken critics. VAC has unlawfully
revealed personal and medical information of Veterans in an effort
to hurt and humiliate such critics, particularly heinous acts in the
light of the pain and suffering already experienced by Veterans.
Of course if Veterans behaved in a similar manner, the
government gets outraged. The Somalia Incident of 1993 is a good
example. The airborne regiment was held accountable for the acts of
a few of its members, and was disbanded as a result.
Since
then, Canadians have learned that the government ordered the
regiment and other military personnel to take Mefloquine, which has
been found to have serious, sometimes life threatening side effects.
Veterans are currently fighting to get an apology and compensation
for this ‘inhumane treatment”.
Why is the government
unwilling to admit that Veterans were treated unfairly and why will
it not apologise and compensate?
Because Veterans are not
entitled to the same respect as Omar Khadr.
Perry Gray is a
Regular Force veteran, serving as the Chief Editor of VVi. Perry has
been with VVi for 15 years. |
|
|
|
You
Can Help!
All veterans are
encouraged to pass information, opinions, links to self-help sites
onto VVi. VeteranVoice.info is a distribution centre and we are
dependant on others to pass information. This is your site. Tell
other veterans about your site.
Email: info@VeteranVoice.info
Facebook
Messenger:
https://www.facebook.com/VeteranVoice.info
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/VetVoiceinfo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disclaimer
and Non-Endorsement for VeteranVoice.info
|
|
PPCLI Association 
