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Feature:
Where is the Lifelong Pension - Lost in the Details
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PERIODICAL
- Oct 2017
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Issue No:
201787 |
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VeteranVoice.info
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Where is the Lifelong Pension - Lost in the Details
By Perry Gray, Chief Editor
VVi
VVi 30 Ovt 2017 pd
For many veterans, a lifelong
pension is the most important benefit as it acknowledges the pain
and suffering experienced in service of Canada. It was not part of
the New Veterans Charter (NVC). It also seems to be a low priority
for the federal government…again in the mandate letter given to the
new minister, Seamus O’Regan, by the prime minister in August 2017.
This assessment is based on
two observations: the location of the pension in the letter; and how
it is described (Re-establish lifelong pensions as an option for our
injured Veterans).
It suggests that the
government does not understand what is most important to Veterans,
and that government priorities are more important. This is not a
good way to show how much Canada honours the sacrifices of Veterans.
When Canadians buy real
estate, their agents stress the importance of “location, location,
location”. The prime minister fails to appreciate this point by
burying the pension in his letter. There is a long (and unnecessary)
series of general statements before any objectives are identified.
There are now 19 specific
objectives (an increase from the mandate letter given to the
previous minister, Kent Hehr, in 2015) and some have already been
achieved (according to Veterans Affairs). The pension is number 12.
If the prime minister truly
understood what is most important to Veterans, then he would have
placed the pension at the top of his list.
It is still unclear as to
which objectives Seamus O’Regan will tackle and in what order. The
pension was never a priority for Kent Hehr.
The other troubling aspect is
that a future pension will be an option. Although it is unclear what
is specifically meant by this. The previous federal government
suggested that the lump sum of the NVC could be paid out over months
or years instead of a single payment. There has been very little
information made public by VAC as whether or not the pension will be
similar to that of the Pension Act.
There are other parts of the
mandate letter which suggest that the government does not understand
“Veterans issues”.
There is the use of an old
term, Permanent Impairment Allowance, instead of Career Impact
Allowance. This may seem insignificant, but it does suggest that the
letter was not reviewed rigorously before being issued.
Many of the financial benefits
discussed remain limited in their provision. The new minister will
have to do a lot more to ensure that “Veterans should not have to
fight their own government for the support and compensation they
have earned”.
His new department is still
too centred on “living within our fiscal plan” rather than “to
ensure that Veterans receive the respect, support, care, and
economic opportunities they deserve”. This is made obvious by the
limited financial support provided by the many benefits such as
Earnings Loss Benefit, Career Impact Allowance, Disability Award
(lump sum) and Caregiver Recognition Benefit. As noted in previous
periodicals, media stories and Veterans’ testimonials, VAC provides
the minimum more than the maximum.
Will Seamus O’Regan be able to
achieve “your overarching goal will be to ensure that our government
lives up to our sacred obligation to Veterans and their families”?
Given what has happened in the
last two years, there is a lot of work to be done, and it is
unlikely that he can afford to “add priorities to your agenda when
appropriate”.
Perry Gray is a Regular
Force veteran, serving as the Chief Editor of VVi. Perry has been
with VVi for 16 years. |
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Letter to Minister VAC
By Perry Gray, Chief Editor
VVi
VVi 30 Ovt 2017 pd
Dear Mr. O’Regan:
I am honoured that you have
agreed to serve Canadians as Minister of Veterans Affairs and
Associate Minister of National Defence.
We promised Canadians real change – in both what we do and how we do
it. Canadians sent a clear message in the last election, and our
platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a strong and growing
middle class. Canadians expect us to fulfill our commitments, and it
is my expectation that you will do your part in delivering on those
promises to Canadians.
We made a commitment to grow
our economy, strengthen the middle class, and help those working
hard to join it. We committed to provide more direct help to those
who need it by giving less to those who do not. We committed to
public investment to spur economic growth, job creation, and
broad-based prosperity. We committed to a responsible, transparent
fiscal plan for challenging economic times.
I expect Canadians to hold us
accountable for delivering these commitments, and I expect all
ministers to do their part – individually and collectively – to
improve economic opportunity and security for Canadians.
It is my expectation that we
will deliver real results and professional government to Canadians.
To ensure that we have a strong focus on results, I will expect
Cabinet committees and individual ministers to: track and report on
the progress of our commitments; assess the effectiveness of our
work; and align our resources with priorities, in order to get the
results we want and Canadians deserve.
If we are to tackle the real
challenges we face as a country – from a struggling middle class to
the threat of climate change – Canadians need to have faith in their
government’s honesty and willingness to listen. I expect that our
work will be informed by performance measurement, evidence, and
feedback from Canadians. We will direct resources to initiatives
that have the greatest positive impact on the lives of Canadians,
and that allow us to meet our commitments to them. I expect you to
report regularly on your progress toward fulfilling our commitments
and to help develop effective measures that assess the impact of the
organizations for which you are answerable.
I made a personal commitment
to bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa. We made a
commitment to Canadians to pursue our goals with a renewed sense of
collaboration. Improved partnerships with provincial, territorial,
and municipal governments are essential to deliver the real,
positive change that we promised Canadians. No relationship is more
important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples.
It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with
Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect,
co-operation, and partnership.
We have also committed to set
a higher bar for openness and transparency in government. It is time
to shine more light on government to ensure it remains focused on
the people it serves. Government and its information should be open
by default. If we want Canadians to trust their government, we need
a government that trusts Canadians. It is important that we
acknowledge mistakes when we make them. Canadians do not expect us
to be perfect – they expect us to be honest, open, and sincere in
our efforts to serve the public interest.
Our platform guides our
government. Over the course of our four-year mandate, I expect us to
deliver on our commitments. It is our collective responsibility to
ensure that we fulfill our promises, while living within our fiscal
plan. Other issues will arise or will be brought to our attention by
Canadians, stakeholders, and the public service. It is my
expectation that you will engage constructively and thoughtfully and
add priorities to your agenda when appropriate.
As Minister, you will be held
accountable for our commitment to bring a different style of
leadership to government. This will include: close collaboration
with your colleagues; meaningful engagement with Opposition Members
of Parliament, Parliamentary Committees and the public service;
constructive dialogue with Canadians, civil society, and
stakeholders, including business, organized labour, the broader
public sector, and the not-for-profit and charitable sectors; and
identifying ways to find solutions and avoid escalating conflicts
unnecessarily. As well, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery,
indeed all journalists in Canada and abroad, are professionals who,
by asking necessary questions, contribute in an important way to the
democratic process. Your professionalism and engagement with them is
essential.
Canadians expect us, in our
work, to reflect the values we all embrace: inclusion, honesty, hard
work, fiscal prudence, and generosity of spirit. We will be a
government that governs for all Canadians, and I expect you, in your
work, to bring Canadians together.
You are expected to do your
part to fulfill our government’s commitment to transparent,
merit-based appointments, to help ensure gender parity and that
Indigenous Peoples and minority groups are better reflected in
positions of leadership.
Veterans and their families
have earned our respect and gratitude. Veterans should not have to
fight their own government for the support and compensation they
have earned. As Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister
of National Defence, your overarching goal will be to ensure that
our government lives up to our sacred obligation to Veterans and
their families. I expect you to ensure that Veterans receive the
respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserve. You
will ensure that we honour the service of our Veterans and provide
new career opportunities, make it easier for Veterans to access
services – including mental health services – and do more to support
the families of Canada’s Veterans. I ask you to work closely with
your colleague the Minister of National Defence to ensure a seamless
transition for Canadian Forces members to the programs and services
of your department.
In particular, I will expect
you to work with your colleagues and through established
legislative, regulatory, and Cabinet processes, to deliver on your
top priorities:
Work with the Minister of
National Defence to reduce complexity and strengthen partnerships
between Veterans Affairs and National Defence. As both Minister of
Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, you
will drive efforts to close the seam between these two departments
and make public a roadmap with key milestones of action.
You will continue the
successful implementation of already announced initiatives,
including:
1. the increased value
of the Disability Award.
2. expanded access to
the Permanent Impairment Allowance.
3. providing injured
Veterans with 90 percent of their pre-release salary, and indexing
this benefit;
4. the new Veterans
Education Benefit.
5. the nine re-opened
Veterans Affairs service offices, the newly opened office in Surrey,
British Columbia, expanded outreach activities to Veterans in the
North, hiring of more service delivery staff, and full
implementation of all of the Auditor General’s recommendations on
enhancing mental health service delivery to Veterans.
6. greater education,
counselling, and training for families who are providing care and
support to Veterans living with physical and/or mental health issues
as a result of their service, including the recently expanded
Veterans Family Program at all Military Family Resource Centres.
7. the end of the time
limit for surviving spouses to apply for vocational rehabilitation
and assistance services.
8. doubled funding to the Last Post Fund.
9. improved career
transition services to help Veterans gain skills to successfully
transition to the civilian workforce;
10. the Caregiver
Recognition Benefit, paid directly to Veterans’ caregivers.
11. and the new Veteran
Emergency Fund and Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.
12. Re-establish
lifelong pensions as an option for our injured Veterans, while
ensuring that every injured Veteran has access to financial advice
and support so that they can determine the form of compensation that
works best for them and their families.
13. Streamline the
current suite of benefits with the goal of reducing overlap and
administrative burden, and further improving Veterans Affairs Canada
staff performance as well as the client experience for Veterans both
as they transition to civilian life and as their needs change
throughout their lives. You will also improve transparency and
communications so that Veterans and their families have clarity and
predictability of available benefits and services.
14. Improve career and
vocational assistance for Veterans through ensuring that job
opportunities for returning Veterans are included in Community
Benefits Agreements for new federally-funded infrastructure
projects.
15. Deliver a higher
standard of service and care, and ensure that a “one Veteran, one
standard” approach is upheld.
16. Implement the
creation of a centre of excellence in mental health to enhance
research and best practices and establish a second centre of
excellence based on the area of greatest need.
17. Increase the
Veteran survivor’s pension amount from 50 percent to 70 percent.
18. Eliminate the
“marriage after 60” claw-back clause, so that surviving spouses of
Veterans receive appropriate pension and health benefits.
19. Work with the
Minister of National Defence to develop a suicide prevention
strategy for Canadian Armed Forces personnel and Veterans.
These priorities draw heavily
from our election platform commitments.
I expect you to work closely
with your Deputy Minister and his or her senior officials to ensure
that the ongoing work of your department is undertaken in a
professional manner and that decisions are made in the public
interest. Your Deputy Minister will brief you on issues your
department may be facing that may require decisions to be made
quickly. It is my expectation that you will apply our values and
principles to these decisions, so that issues facing your department
are dealt with in a timely and responsible manner, and in a way that
is consistent with the overall direction of our government.
Our ability, as a government,
to successfully implement our platform depends on our ability to
thoughtfully consider the professional, non-partisan advice of
public servants. Each and every time a government employee comes to
work, they do so in service to Canada, with a goal of improving our
country and the lives of all Canadians. I expect you to establish a
collaborative working relationship with your Deputy Minister, whose
role, and the role of public servants under his or her direction, is
to support you in the performance of your responsibilities.
We have committed to an open,
honest government that is accountable to Canadians, lives up to the
highest ethical standards, and applies the utmost care and prudence
in the handling of public funds. I expect you to embody these values
in your work and observe the highest ethical standards in everything
you do. When dealing with our Cabinet colleagues, Parliament,
stakeholders, or the public, it is important that your behaviour and
decisions meet Canadians’ well-founded expectations of our
government. I want Canadians to look on their own government with
pride and trust.
As Minister, you must ensure
that you are aware of and fully compliant with the Conflict of
Interest Act and Treasury Board policies and guidelines. Open and
Accountable Government has been developed to assist you as you
undertake your responsibilities. I ask that you carefully read it
and ensure that your staff does so as well. I draw your attention in
particular to the Ethical Guidelines set out in Annex A of that
document, which apply to you and your staff. As noted in the
Guidelines, you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and
impartiality, and both the performance of your official duties and
the arrangement of your private affairs should bear the closest
public scrutiny. This is an obligation that is not fully discharged
by simply acting within the law. Please also review the areas of
Open and Accountable Government that we have expanded or
strengthened, including the guidance on non-partisan use of
departmental communications resources and the new code of conduct
for exempt staff.
I know I can count on you to
fulfill the important responsibilities entrusted in you. In turn,
please know that you can count on me to support you every day in
your role as Minister.
I am deeply grateful to have
this opportunity to serve with you as we build an even greater
country. Together, we will work tirelessly to honour the trust
Canadians have given us.
Perry Gray is a Regular
Force veteran, serving as the Chief Editor of VVi. Perry has been
with VVi for 16 years. |
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