Fantino in/out of VAC: changes in DM/other staff (merged)

[Baz]

I know I'm being anal, but... Mr O'Toole nvever served in the RCAF, as it didn't exist when he was in.

To me, it underlines that politics comes first and foremost; this government brought back the RCAF, and as long this Government is in office, the RCAF never didn't exist (double negative intended).

Not saying its a big deal, its just the way it is.

 

[Tibbson]

Given the fact its essentially a new name for the same organization he served with I don't see where it makes much of a difference.  If the report had said he served X number of years with Air Command or the Air Element I'm sure nobody would know what the report was talking about.  I'm sure we're the only ones to care enough to note the differences.

 

[McG]

The various media go-to faces have started coming out for interviews to state why this change will or will not satisfy veterans and serving members.

Veterans, military personnel split on Erin O'Toole's cabinet appointment
GLORIA GALLOWAY
The Globe and Mail
05 Jan 2015

Erin O’Toole is possessed of qualities that Julian Fantino, his demoted Veterans Affairs predecessor, might have found useful as he repeatedly butted heads with the ex-military personnel he was appointed to serve.

Unlike Mr. Fantino, whose career was spent in policing, Mr. O’Toole was a helicopter navigator in the Canadian Forces. He is the founder of an organization that supports acting members of the military, veterans and their families. He is a lawyer who understands military culture and parlance.

And he is personable – so much so that the Conservatives relied heavily upon him in the troublesome final months of Mr. Fantino’s tenure as Veterans Affairs Minister. When an MP was required to appear before the television cameras to explain the minister’s actions, Mr. O’Toole was often the man.

But that experience may prove to be inconsequential as he tries to mend the government’s tattered relationship with Canada’s veterans in the months that remain before a federal election.

“He has to change the entire way that Veterans Affairs Canada has been operated over the last year,” said Michael Blais, the president of Canadian Veterans Advocacy, which works on behalf of wounded soldiers.

“And until Mr. O’Toole demonstrates a willingness to work worth us and not against us, we will see this as no more than a change of a puppet,” Mr. Blais said. “Unless the message changes significantly, the messenger is irrelevant.”

Not all former members of the Canadian military have had to do battle with Veterans Affairs. The majority, it must be assumed, have retired and collected what they were owed without fighting a bureaucracy that is seemingly uncaring of their service.

But Auditor-General Michael Ferguson said in November that some vets are waiting months or years to access mental-health disability benefits.

That bad news was compounded by Mr. Fantino’s announcement of $200-million for veterans’ mental health that his department said would be paid out over six years but will actually be spread over decades. And there are many other irritants, including the New Veterans Charter, which many new veterans say leaves them inadequately compensated.

Some of those who have complained the loudest about Mr. Fantino see Mr. O’Toole as singing from the same song sheet as the man he replaced.

Ron Clarke, a 73-year-old retired army sergeant from Nova Scotia, was among those who confronted Mr. Fantino in Ottawa a year ago over the closing of nine Veterans Affairs offices.

“I was unfortunate enough to meet Mr. O’Toole when we were there to see Mr. Fantino,” said Mr. Clarke. “He was an arrogant, self-centred person. And I don’t think he will make any difference because we believe [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper is running the show anyway.”

But some military observers say Mr. O’Toole has the power to slough off the negatives associated with Mr. Fantino.

...

On the other hand, he said, the Veterans Affairs bureaucracy was ponderous long before the Conservatives took power in 2006. And now it is making the very difficult transition from serving elderly veterans of the Second World War and Korea to helping a smaller number of young Afghanistan veterans who are suffering from psychological illness and debilitating physical injuries.

...

 

[George Wallace]

As soon as I see or hear something that is from Michael Blais, I tune out.

 

[Happy Guy]

I wholeheartedly concur with the first point.  Mr. Fantino did nothing but trip over himself during his stint in that position.  He never established a good rapport with Veterans and did a bang up job isolating and insulting many of them. On comment #2, it doesn't matter.  Regardless of the fact the new man in served, expect no great changes.  Why people seem to think that by virtue of the fact an individual served is going to make them a better Minister of Veterans Affairs or MND is beyond me.  If anything, military experience could prove to be more of a hindrance in such a post.  Think about it, imagine you yourself (anybody reading this with military experience) get appointed to Minister of Veterans Affairs or MND.  You know the Military, you lived it.  You would have great insight as to what you'd like to change within your Department to better serve the troops/Veterans.  However, you would go mad trying to see your visions implemented in the form of policy changes due to bureaucratic redtape and budget constraints and probably end up disillusioned pretty quickly.  First off, lets get a fact straight - no Minister of ANY Department actually has any real authority to make policy changes.  That's up to the Government.  A Minister can make all the recommendations in the world and it'll fall on deaf ears because at the end of the day, it's not their call to make. A Minister is a fall guy.  Someone for the Government to be able to clearly identify and point a finger at when things go sour. 

Fantino was a patsy.... set up for failure by the Harper Government as an expendable from Day 1.  The cuts and changes to Veterans Affairs as a Department that started up in 2012 in the form of a SERLO for VAC CSA's Canada wide were decided upon years ago - long before Fantino ever took the helm.  His own ignorance and insensitivity only damned him that much more.  The previous Minister, Steven Blaney was quietly moved over to plum assignment as Minister of Public Safety after Vic Toews retired in 2013.  Why move him from a post he had been in since 2011? Too high a profile politician for the Conservatives to see tossed to the wolves as they knew full well that there was a violent storm brewing over Veterans Affairs with the planned cuts/office closures coming in the near future. Steven Blaney became the President of the Quebec Conservative caucus following his re-election in 2008 and no way was Harper going to see him go down in flames.  Enter the bumbling, blustering Fantino, an ideal fall guy to take the heat for Veterans Affairs failures.  VAC was a tinderbox when he was appointed Minister in July 2013.... Fantino showed up with a zippo and lots of lighter fluid and took it from there.

Bottom line is, these are ex-soldiers, now turned politicians.  They have retired or moved on from their military careers and have embarked on new career paths as politicians.  Their goal(s) will be to move up the political ladder, and will make their moves accordingly.  Don't think for a second it will be different because they served.  They do what their political masters tell them to do. Period. The new man in can come in with great bravado and wonderful intentions, but have the Government come back with "Sorry, no money in the budget for your initiatives."  All I'm saying is - don't hold your breath waiting on the clouds to part and the sun to come shining down on VAC because the new Minister served.

To be realistic Mr. O'Toole is an inexperienced politician and a very junior cabinet minister.  It is also an election year.  He will not be able to do anything except spew the party policy lines and nothing else.  I sincerely hope that he not will be used as another patsy / fallguy but only time will tell.

My best wishes to him.

 

[reccecrewman]

To be realistic Mr. O'Toole is an inexperienced politician and a very junior cabinet minister.  It is also an election year.  He will not be able to do anything except spew the party policy lines and nothing else.  I sincerely hope that he not will be used as another patsy / fallguy but only time will tell.

My best wishes to him.

I don't think he is being set up.  The real damage the Government had planned on doing is done and Fantino's head has rolled.  Veterans are rejoicing because he's gone after too many gaffe's.  Enter the new guy.... A man who has served - this placates the troops and the Government is happy that the Veterans' demands for the MVA's head have abated.  Lets not forget those changes that were promised last October about changes coming to the NVC and the details on that $70,000 top up for NVC pensioners being made in the next few months. (The Government had promised they wanted all these changes implemented by the start of the new fiscal year.) Oh yeah, and it's an election year.... guaranteed there will be goodies galore in the budget for Veterans to sway them into voting these monkeys back into power this fall.  No, I believe Mr. O'Toole's selection to this post was a carefully orchestrated play by the Conservatives.  Install an ex-serviceman into this post, then come out with some treats for Veterans in the 2015 budget as well as those promised changes to the NVC and get the Veterans (and their voting family members) back on the Conservatives side in time for fall election.  Time will tell though...

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Only problem with your theory is that the most vocal vets see right through the smoke screen and will continue to be as vocal.

 

[Occam]

As soon as I see or hear something that is from Michael Blais, I tune out.

Funny, I get the same feeling when I hear blather about the Royal Canadian Legion.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Funny, I get the same feeling when I hear blather about the Royal Canadian Legion.

Funny, I get the same feeling when I hear blather about from the Royal Canadian Legion.

TFTFY 8)

 

[Occam]

Thank you, that's more along the lines of what I meant.  Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever seen a member of the RCL Dominion executive speaking before a camera.  I did stumble across a press release by accident once, where the RCL expressed "disappointment" with the government's response to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA).

Heaven forbid the RCL publicly express "dissatisfaction" or even "mild perturbation". 

Edit to add:  To keep this on topic, this is the RCL's response to Fantino being removed from his post:

The Royal Canadian Legion, which represents veterans and boasts 300,000 members, welcomed the appointment of O'Toole, saying in a release it hoped the change would bring "better action" to the issues facing veterans.

"This is a political move and we will not concern ourselves with the reasons behind it," Tom Eagles, Dominion president of the legion, said in a release.

More powerful words were never spoken. 

 

[reccecrewman]

Only problem with your theory is that the most vocal vets see right through the smoke screen and will continue to be as vocal.

You would think so wouldn't you? It seems so blatantly obvious, yet after witnessing Ontario voters re-install Wynne a few months past, I'm not so sure.  I hope for everyones sake, you're right - all I can control is my one vote and it certainly isn't going to the Cons.

 

[George Wallace]

- all I can control is my one vote and it certainly isn't going to the Cons.

I would never say something like that.  I am not sure that any of the Opposition Parties actually have any intention to improve upon VAC, and wasting a vote on a fringe Party is just that, a wasted vote, that will result in no change and only a temporary "Feel Good Feeling" for you.  Make your vote count, even if it is for the "lesser evil" getting into power, if you want any chance of effecting change. 

It never ceases to amaze me that people will vote for an Independent, a Party that does not have a large national support base, or spoil their ballot in protest; and then expect the Government to effect changes that they want.

 

[Strike]

I also agree that it was a carefully laid plan to put Mr. O'Toole into that position, and not to act as a fall guy for bad news.  He's very close with Brian MacDonald, having graduated from RMC the same year.  For those who don't know him, Mr. MacDonald is the MP for Fredericton and was the policy advisor for MacKay when he was MND.  Both these men are going places as far as I can see.  I know I'm biased, as they are both good friends, but I've had the opportunity to work with both of them as politicians and am very pleased with how they've done.

 

[reccecrewman]

I would never say something like that.  I am not sure that any of the Opposition Parties actually have any intention to improve upon VAC, and wasting a vote on a fringe Party is just that, a wasted vote, that will result in no change and only a temporary "Feel Good Feeling" for you.  Make your vote count, even if it is for the "lesser evil" getting into power, if you want any chance of effecting change. 

I won't be 'wasting' it with a vote for some fringe party that has no hope of actually getting in power.  I have no problem stating my Federal vote is going Liberal.  By no means do I think Trudeau is any type of spectacular politician, but I accept that the Federal Government of Canada will be either Conservative or Liberal.  So, the simple fact that the Conservatives have been in power for nearly 9 years and now with a majority, Harper feels he can do whatever the **** he wants, it's time for him to go.  I'm a lifelong Conservative voter, and this will be my first time not voting Conservative, but like you said, voting for some fringe party is a wasted vote.  So I'll vote Liberal and those crooks screw me for 4 years.  It doesn't matter whose in power - the taxpayers are getting screwed either way.

 

[The Bread Guy]

It never ceases to amaze me that people will vote for an Independent, a Party that does not have a large national support base, or spoil their ballot in protest; and then expect the Government to effect changes that they want.

While that frustrates me as well, and I agree a vote for a team that might do something is always better than one for a team that probably won't ever do something, the last time I heard, the winning MP is supposed to go to bat for everyone in the riding, not just those who voted for him/her.

Sad to say, if you're voting on vets' issues alone, we've seen how the Conservatives have run things, and we've seen SFA of substance from the other two parties about what they'd do to this point, so it's "a hold your nose and pick one" vote.

 

[George Wallace]

I am not saying what way I am going to vote, until such time as I can make an 'informed' decision (as much as that may be).  The campaigning has yet to begin, so I have no idea what promises any of the Parties intend on making.

Perhaps some day we can see some of these promises kept.  :-\

 

[Danjanou]

No guarantee that he would be the  Minister if the Liberals were to win but here is their present Veterans Affairs critic. It may be worth checking on what if any his opinions are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Valeriote

 

[Remius]

Now that some of the dust is settling I think that there is an opportunity for the Governement to reset its relationship with the Veteran community.  A large part of Fantino's problem is that he really could not communicate well and had no clue how to deal with people and individuals.  I think that Minister O'Toole is better spoken and will likely be somewhat more receptive that Fantino appeared to be.  People were outraged with how Fantiono dealt with Ms. Mignon and vets etc etc.  I think that Mr. O'toole will avoid situations like that and handle them better.

However, there is a risk that if this is just smoke and mirrors and things don't improve that good people will have their reputations and legacies tarnished (Walt fo example).  as well any argument that a former member/veteran is better than a non veteran serving in those roles will be quashed as well.

We'll see what the year brings.

 

[X Royal]

I don't expect any change other than the face behind the shovel of shit.
Harper does not see himself as the leader of his party & PM but as the supreme commander.
Any minister of his is going to dance to and sing the exact tune he calls for.
Perfect example of micromanagement.
When the heat gets too hot they are moved and Harper tries to distance himself from the mess he created.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I will spell this out once again folks..............that's PM, or Mr. Harper.............Mr. Trudeau..........Mr. Mulclair,...etc...

This site will not turn into some shitpile of disrespect, govern yourselves accordingly.

Bruce
army.ca staff