Veteran groups seek to influence the 2015 vote

[ModlrMike]

The comments to the article are [pause] entertaining to say the least.

 

[The Bread Guy]

An interesting ad from Veterans Against ABC:

Source: https://www.facebook.com/veteransagainstABC?fref=nf

That group has turned away from being just anti-ABC and is now, quite unabashedly, pro-Conservative.

Spell check?

 

[Edward Campbell]

Another veterans vs. veterans story, this one from Global News at the link.

 

[the 48th regulator]

That meme is oozing Britain First crockery.  Obviously they want to transition into one of those types of groups.  DO they even know the dark path they travel?

Once again, another group that truly does not speak for me!

 

[The Bread Guy]

With less than two weeks to go and most polls showing Team Blue & Team Red essentially neck & neck (with Team Orange dropping off), what are the chances of the Conservatives dropping this lawsuit right here to get a few more vet votes?

They've walked away from other litigation since the writ was issued. 

Especially if it looks like the Liberals'll squeak in?  Let them find the money to pay?

 

[ModlrMike]

You mean use Veterans to do to the Liberals what was done to them?

 

[The Bread Guy]

You mean use Veterans to do to the Liberals what was done to them?

Well, doing the right thing for vets hasn't been the lever one would have hoped in a majority government 

 

[ModlrMike]

I heard a quite unsubstantiated opinion that to reverse the NVC, particularly the life time pensions, would cost on the order of 7BN. That's enough to give anyone pause. Even if it's only half that, I'm not sure the public or politicians have the stomach for it. Remember "mile wide - inch deep".

 

[The Bread Guy]

I heard a quite unsubstantiated opinion that to reverse the NVC, particularly the life time pensions, would cost on the order of 7BN. That's enough to give anyone pause. Even if it's only half that, I'm not sure the public or politicians have the stomach for it. Remember "mile wide - inch deep".

Thanks for sharing the RUMINT, MM - I'm staggered, but not surprised, by the neighbourhood of that figure.  I, sadly, have to agree about the bit in yellow 

 

[Edward Campbell]

More on this, this time CTV News says that "an unprecedented political wedge is splitting the country's veterans, who are turning on each other in the countdown to the Oct. 19 vote."

 

[blacktriangle]

I heard a quite unsubstantiated opinion that to reverse the NVC, particularly the life time pensions, would cost on the order of 7BN. That's enough to give anyone pause. Even if it's only half that, I'm not sure the public or politicians have the stomach for it. Remember "mile wide - inch deep".

So I guess I shouldn't be holding my breath for Trudeau's "GI bill" ? 

 

[The Bread Guy]

So I guess I shouldn't be holding my breath for Trudeau's "GI bill" ?

Or anyone else's, for that matter.

 

[Occam]

I heard a quite unsubstantiated opinion that to reverse the NVC, particularly the life time pensions, would cost on the order of 7BN. That's enough to give anyone pause. Even if it's only half that, I'm not sure the public or politicians have the stomach for it. Remember "mile wide - inch deep".

I call BS on that figure.

Looking solely at the disability pension/disability award issue, three groups of veterans will be created; existing Pension Act recipients, existing recipients of a Disability Award, and future recipients of a Disability Pension.

Existing Pension Act recipients are a known quantity and need to be budgeted just as they have been in the past.  In other words, there are no new costs associated with paying disability pensions to this group.

Existing recipients of a Disability Award would presumably be converted over to a Disability Pension scheme.  Knowing their disability factor makes it easy to find out what their Pension Act payments would have been had they been granted a disability pension at the pension eligibility date instead of a lump sum award.  Then, pension payments would be suspended until the amount of the already-awarded Disability Award is recovered via suspended pension payments.  Eventually the veteran's account would equalize, and they'd start receiving pension payments.

Future recipients of monthly disability pensions would result in a much lower yearly cost going forward (monthly payments) than one large single hit in the year a disability award would have been granted.  That's looking at costs for any given year, and not overall cost over the lifetime of veterans.

Unless I've overlooked something (and it's entirely possible that I may have), the total up-front costs of converting from a Disability Award system back to a monthly Disability Pension system would be zero.

From where else would this $7B figure come from?  Health care benefits would remain the same; if you were entitled to hearing aids before the switch, you'd still be entitled to hearing aids afterwards. If you got VIP before, you'd get VIP after.

 

[blacktriangle]

Or anyone else's, for that matter.

Thankfully I saw through the pledge and it did not sway my vote. I'd use such a benefit were it available in the near future, but I refuse to waste my vote on a false promise from someone I have absolutely no respect for. We see how politicians treat the military, so to expect that attitude to change upon transition to "veteran" status is probably delusional. I'm sure elements of our political class would favour educating migrants before ever footing the bill for me based on my military service.

I definitely got into the wrong field though! The base salary for an MP doubles what I make in a year, and they don't even have to deliver on what they promise. I don't think I'd ever get an immediate PER if I never delivered for my boss...

 

[The Bread Guy]

I heard a quite unsubstantiated opinion that to reverse the NVC, particularly the life time pensions, would cost on the order of 7BN ....

.... Unless I've overlooked something (and it's entirely possible that I may have), the total up-front costs of converting from a Disability Award system back to a monthly Disability Pension system would be zero ....

Well, we at least now have an approximate size for the beaten zone  ;D

 

[The Bread Guy]

Interesting statement from Thunder Bay-Rainy River ....

The Conservative candidate in Thunder Bay-Rainy River apologized on behalf of the Harper government for its treatment of local veterans.

During Wednesday night’s Chronicle Journal hosted debate, the candidates were asked what they would do for veterans after the local office was one of eight across the country closed by the Conservative government last year.

“It was unacceptable in which the way they treated local veterans. More dialogue and communication needed to be had,” Moe Comuzzi said, who pointed out she is a member of the local Branch 5 Legion and the niece of a Second World War veteran.

“We are deeply sorry. That apology was by removing Minister Julian Fantino. On behalf of my government, I’m truly sorry for what happened.”

She acknowledged there are 25 front-line mental health clinics across Canada and 31 integrated personal support centres but did not comment on whether she would push to have the local office back in service ....

More here:

The Conservative candidate running in Thunder Bay-Rainy River has apologized for how her party has treated some veterans.

Conservative candidate Moe Comuzzi faced off against fellow challengers Don Rusnak, for the Liberals, and Christy Radbourne, for the Green Party, as well as NDP incumbent John Rafferty during the final debate hosted by The Chronicle-Journal, which was held at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium where around 60 people attended.

The candidates exchanged jabs on a variety of topics including the Ring of Fire, foreign policy, creating jobs, strengthening environmental protection and accountability.

But it was when the topic turned to the closed Veterans Affairs offices that Comuzzi apologized for how the Conservative government acted.

“We are grateful for the service of our veterans,” she said. “It was unacceptable (the way) they treated local veterans. More dialogue and communication needed to be had. We are very deeply sorry. That apology was removing (former veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino). On behalf of my government, I am truly sorry for what happened.”

Comuzzi, who is a legion member, promised to work on the behalf of veterans if she’s elected but stopped short at saying she would reopen the offices ....

 

[Rifleman62]

Lightguns:

The real story is that we make up rules to be fair to vets and the rules can be controlled too tightly and or too loosely to the detriment of vets by elected officials and civil servants.  Vets are a little more than dump truck contractors to be used and discarded depending on the photo op.  The system doesn't work and it does not matter which party is running it.  Most vet groups don't get that.  But, hey, enjoy the near empty VA offices in places were they are not heavily used...........

http://army.ca/forums/threads/122623/post-1470964.html#msg1470964

Rifleman62:

Anyone finding the reopening and the establishment of a new VAC office in the Minister of National Defence riding helpful?

Agree. This was all Liberal PR and the hiring of more Public Service people in my opinion, who according to an audit are more interested in their jobs than service to those who employ them.

CP article above post:

Organizer Doug Roberts says his group -- which has about 400 members -- fought hard against the federal civil service that he says used technicalities to deny benefits to veterans, and it won't stand by to see a similar approach flourish under the new government.

Good luck on that.

A spokeswoman for federal Veterans Affairs minister Kent Hehr said the federal Liberals are planning to improve treatment of veterans during their time in office.

Trouble is the Liberals, the natural governing party of Canada, expect under Trudeau and his children, and their children, on  governing Canada for 100 years so they have plenty of time to "planning to improve treatment of veterans during their time in office".

Hopefully some eugenics within the Trudeau family will vanquish what we got now and previously.

 

[Loachman]

Trouble is the Liberals, the natural governing party of Canada, expect under Trudeau and his children, and their children, on  governing Canada for 100 years so they have plenty of time to "planning to improve treatment of veterans during their time in office".

'Twould be much better if they were "planning to improve treatment of veterans during their (veterans) time on Earth" instead - and actually followed through.

 

[Rifleman62]

....during their (veterans) time on Earth"

Much better stated.