Harper Government takes back $1.13 billion from veterans

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

OTTAWA - Veterans Affairs Canada has returned $1.13 billion to the federal treasury in unspent funds since the Conservatives came to power in 2006 — cash that critics say should have gone towards improved benefits and services.

Full article:  http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/national/283272171.html 

Canadian Veterans are here not to praise Caesar but to bury him .....  http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/11/13/the-final-front-veterans-versus-harper-in-2015/ 

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Interesting article ........... https://tonyseed.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/has-canada-left-its-wounded-veterans-in-the-lurch/#more-11...

 

[valve37]

Ottawa pledges $200-million to aid veterans with mental health issues

The federal government is spending $200-million over five years to help veterans suffering from operational stress issues, including a new facility in Halifax that will assess and treat those with the mental health disorder.

Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, Defence Minister‎ Rob Nicholson and Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced the package of measures Sunday in Halifax, where politicians, senior military officials and security experts from around the world are meeting for an annual security forum.

The Conservative government has been criticized by veterans groups for its handling of mental health issues in the forces and among ex-military personnel. Some 128 members of regular forces and 32 reservists have committed suicide in the past decade.

Since the Conservatives took power in 2006, Veterans Affairs Canada has failed to spend $1.13-billion in funds that were budgeted for programs, documents tabled in the House of Commons last week revealed. Roughly one-third of the lapsed funds were handed back between 2011 and 2013 when the government was engaged in a massive deficit-cutting drive.

Auditor-General Michael Ferguson is due to report Tuesday on mental health in the Canadian Forces. The auditor general provides the government with advance warning of its findings in order to receive comments from relevant departments.

The Operational Stress Injury clinic is to open in Halifax next fall as Canadians are expected to head to the polls for a federal election. David MacLeod, an Afghanistan veteran critical of the way veterans have been treated, was recently nominated as the Liberal candidate to run in the Central Nova riding against Mr. MacKay.

In addition to the Halifax clinic, satellite clinics are to open across the country – St. John’s, ‎Chicoutimi, Pembroke, Brockville, Kelowna, Victoria and Montreal, according to the announcement.

Veterans Affairs will also work with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a veterans-specific Mental Health First Aid training program across Canada which will be delivered to an estimated 3,000 veterans, their families and caregivers over the next five years. And it will fund research to find better treatments and promote faster recoveries for veterans and their families who suffer from mental illness.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ottawa-pledges-200-million-to-aid-veterans-with-mental-...

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

''Ottawa pledges $200-million to aid veterans with mental health issues''

That's what happens when you get caught and there's an election on the horizon.

[valve37]

That's how you win elections. Call it bribery if you like, just smart politics!

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

I call it lack of integrity. To some of us, it's still important. 

[nuvistors]

---

@prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil wrote:

I call it lack of integrity. To some of us, it's still important. 

---

Integrity is  a very low priority with the Ontario McGuinty /wynne liberals

[pierrelebel]

Two wrongs never make a right!

This thread is about the federal Conservative Harper government running a country of thirty-five million individuals, not a provincial government..

[davca.8je2v]

Never did understand people that say they "took back" money !  If I budget $500 for my Hydro bill and it comes in at $400 I did not "take back" $100. it's $100 I did not have to spend.

Nobody has said that they could not get service . Anybody that wants treatment etc. , I know several including veterans getting their grass cut and laneway shoveled, you just have to ask. Just because someone "budgets" money does not mean it HAS to be spent.

2 weeks ago I "budgeted" $35,000 for a new car , Went out and got the one 1 wanted for $28,000---I did NOT take back $7,000 from the dealer! 

Sorry Just MY opinion

[disisus]

The new veterans charter isn't retro-active so older vets still get their grass cut, etc.

It applies to those who were still serving from 2006 and forward. Like in Afghanistan. So for example you have someone who has served the country for over 30 years and then volunteers to serve in Afghanistan. He loses his legs and his pension because now the new charter applies to him. If he hadn't volunteered to serve he'd have his legs and his pension because the old charter would apply.

Major Mark Campbell was lying in a hospital bed, just starting to comprehend losing both his legs above the knees in a Taliban ambush, when he found out the federal government had stripped his lifetime military pension.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/12/04/canadian-veteran-who-lost-legs-in-afghanistan-ready-for-figh...

So he's taking the gov't to court.

The only reason the Gov't got to "take back" the money is because they cut services/offices/benefits and pensions for anyone that became a vet since 2006.

[davca.8je2v]

volunteers to serve in Afghanistan

I'm confused ?  Are these stupid people ??  What exactly did they think they were signing up to do when they joined the army ?? Did they miss the fine print about what exactly am army does ? And this Volunteering you speak of--do they not get paid to do this job ? Do they not also get about $10,000 tax free in "danger pay" for going over there ? do they also not get the income they make while serving over there Tax free ? Do they not also return to Canada and get Approx. 3-4 months off Paid as they were "on duty" 24/7 while there for the 6 months they were there ? do they also not get at least 1 (I believe it is 2) trips home for at least 1 week during their tour or they can have their spouse flown somewhere to meet them for a week (all paid for by the government) while they are on tour?

Think someone should look up the definition of Volunteer

" It was approved by a unanimous vote of Parliament in 2006     

Unanimous ???   That means that everybody from ALL Parties voted for it correct ?   just check definitions .

hmmm  Just looking back in 2006 was that not a minority government ?  that would mean that if the other parties wanted to they could have stopped this bill in it's tracks ?? Is that the way it works ? the most votes win on a motion ? so If Mr. Harper had 124 out of 308 seats and the Liberals had 103, the Bloc 51 and the NDP 29 all it would have taken was for the Liberals to team up with the Bloc and this would have been defeated correct? But I see it was unanimous which means (I think) that every single member of Government no matter what party they belonged to voted in favour of this change . Not quite sure this gets Pinned on Mr. Harper but some like to spin things in counter clockwise to make it look a bit different than it actually is.  

[disisus]

I'm not sure if they do get danger pay. This Gov't cut it. Unless they brought it back.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-soldiers-headed-to-kabul-told-not-to-expect-danger-pay-1.17880...

Harper has been in charge long enough to change the veterans charter if he wanted to. At the time all parties voted on it none of them realized what it really meant. Harper boosted on how "his" Gov't was looking after them with this new Charter. Since then all the problems with it have surfaced and instead of fixing it, he cut the services. Those cuts were under his watch. No one else's.

Harper owns this. There is no point trying to blame any other party.

[davca.8je2v]

So your saying not one of the other members bothered to do their JOB and actually read the bill they were voting for ?? interesting ? Also they still get danger pay depending on where they are, nobody has EVER gotten danger pay while at an embassy .

[davca.8je2v]

Also having a very close family member with PTSD I know first hand that those that WANT treatment are getting it. He is getting very good treatment and very well paid while receiving his treatment, as well as a bonus for his "disability" ..It's there they just have to ask . Just like drug treatment you cannot force it on someone they have to ask and want it.

[valve37]

So it seems Davca. Please note Disisus!

Help is available free for PTS vets, just enroll in the VTP program. Quite sucsessful so it seems for those that took advantage of it.

http://vtncanada.org/vtp/

[disisus]

The link you gave Valve goes to a blank page.