MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 31, 2012
- “A group of Afghanistan war veterans has filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government, saying the disability payment regime under the New Veterans Charter violates their human rights. The lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday claims disability payments are decided arbitrarily and aren’t enough to support soldiers who have been injured. “There’s no other group of people who can be ordered to put their life on the line for their country,” said Don Sorochan, the Vancouver lawyer representing six current and former soldiers named in the suit. In return, there is a social covenant between those men and women and the citizens of this country to take care of them if they are injured, he said. “It’s a promise by us, as the people of Canada, that we will look after those who put their lives on the line for us and who put their bodies on the line for us. “Unfortunately, the bureaucrats don’t think it is binding on them.” The lawsuit claims the new charter is a breach of the fiduciary duty owed to injured soldiers, and it seeks damages as well as a declaration that disabled veterans have been discriminated against ….” - more here.
- Royal Canadian Legion on wanting mo’ money for vets’ funerals “…. during our Dominion Convention held in Winnipeg in 2010, The Royal Canadian Legion passed a resolution calling on the Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada to take any and all necessary action immediately to increase the Veterans Funeral and Burial Program services allowable from $3,600.00 to an equivalent level already established of $12,700.00 for the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ….”
- “The growing number of federal employees declared surplus as departments digest the Conservatives government’s spending cuts are squeezing out medically discharged veterans who have also been promised a shot at jobs in the public service. And a Senator who has taken up the cause of veterans believes the only solution is for the government to change the regulations so veterans have the same first dibs as surplus and laid-off employees on vacant jobs in the public service and so they can remain on the priority list longer. “Veterans face very tough competition now,” says Liberal Sen. Percy Downe. “They should be moved up a tier. And why the magical two-year (limit)? There’s no additional cost to keep them on the list longer than two years. We are dealing with human beings here so we should show compassion and fairness.” Anne-Marie Robinson, president of the Public Service Commission, told a Senate committee last week that the commission is working with Veterans Affairs to come up with “policy options” to help veterans through the “transition” of the downsizing, including the possibility of extending the two-year limit they can remain on the priority list. “Notwithstanding the fact that we are going through a difficult transition over the next few years, if you extended the time, for example, that could give those persons over the life of the entitlement a greater opportunity during that period to be appointed to a position,” she said ….”
- Meanwhile, “The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs …. unveiled the Veterans Transition Action Plan to help ensure Veterans and transitioning Canadian Armed Forces personnel make a successful transition to civilian life. This action plan includes new support of up to $600,000 over four years for Veterans to participate in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) ground-breaking Veterans Transition Program, which will provide group-based therapy for Veterans across the country ….”
- Darren Fitzpatrick, 1988-2010, R.I.P. “The parents of a soldier who was severely wounded in Afghanistan hope Canadians will remember the sacrifices of military personnel by donating blood in November. The British Columbia and Yukon branch of the Canadian Blood Services has launched the Remember the Power of Giving campaign, inspired by Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick. The Prince George, B.C., resident was wounded on March 6, 2010 while serving with international forces in Afghanistan. A series of blood transfusions in Germany prolonged the 21-year-old’s life for two weeks and allowed his family to see him. “He was actually conscious and talking and got to tell his brothers that he loved them,” said his mother, Colleen Fitzpatrick. Her son’s wish to be returned home to Canada was granted, and he made it as far as Edmonton on March 16, 2010. He died there the next day ….”
- Ooopsie…. “The federal government lost $1.9 million last year in pilfered property, including vehicles, laptops, smart phones, cameras, furniture and even several dozen military weapons. Another $8.6 million worth of government property — including almost 2,700 more weapons — was lost, damaged or destroyed accidentally. The lengthy list of lost, stolen, damaged or misplaced articles is contained in the federal public accounts for the fiscal year 2011-12, released Tuesday. Computer equipment and BlackBerrys were the items most commonly reported stolen or lost across all government departments, raising questions about the security of the information they contained. But the most eyebrow-raising property losses were cited by National Defence, which reported the theft of 56 weapons and accessories, plus 491 items of unidentified “military-specific equipment.” The department also reported the theft of almost 8,000 pieces of non-military specific equipment, 35 pieces of technical equipment and six items of telecommunicat ion equipment, among other things. National Defence further reported another 2,673 weapons and 3,804 items of military-specific equipment were lost, damaged or destroyed accidentally. “The security and protection of military assets is a priority for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces,” the department said in a statement. “In cases where theft or loss of public property occurs, due to an offence or other illegal act, an investigation is conducted by the chain of command and any necessary disciplinary or remedial actions are carried out to fix the problem.” ….”
- Speaking of money, this is my fave quote from a “senior political staffer” who didn’t want to be identified in this National Post column: “There is definitely a value for money concern at DND [Department of National Defence] – from stress balls to jets. There is excessive use of consultants, many of whom used to be former Canadian Forces or bureaucrats.”
- Some of what the new CDS says he’s thinking about going into the job “…. He …. told the media the weight of responsibility he bears for protecting the peace and security of Canada falls into three categories: “leadership, caring and preparing – leading military operations, caring for troops and making sure there is a robust force going ahead into the future”. He pledged to offer Prime Minister Harper “the best advice on which capabilities need refurbishment and replacing” ….”
- RCAF Info-machine: Goose Bay got some unexpected visitors last week “Goose Bay may be a remote northern base but this essential staging ground of Canadian sovereignty has once again shown that that 5 Wing Goose Bay, N.L. – in partnership with the community – is ready to respond to the unexpected. On Friday, October 26, 2012, a Lufthansa B744 flying between Frankfurt, Germany, and Chicago, U.S.A., encountered a mechanical issue and diverted to 5 Wing. After the aircraft touched down safely a little after 11 p.m., 311 passengers were left in need of shelter and food for the night and the next day. Usually the 5 Wing, one of the Canadian Forces’ gateways to the North, is focused on Northern sovereignty or providing joint training to challenge CF personnel. Aircraft diversions and refuelling stops are not unusual, though, and many diverted aircraft grace the runways throughout the years. But having that many stranded passengers needing rooms for the night is a fairly rare occurrence. Local hotels quickly filled up, l eaving more than 200 passengers to seek shelter with the wing. The wing commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Ward, opened the barracks and dining hall to passengers and crew. Within hours, passengers from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States and other nations had somewhere to sleep and eat ….”
- Africa (1) Canadians in Senegal helping teach military intelligence course (via the Pentagon Info-machine) “Military Intelligence Non-Commission Officer Course- Africa II enhances capacity for intelligence collection, analysis, information sharing among the participating nations, and provides an environment designed to promote collaboration methods within the region’s military intelligence community. The second iteration of the Military Intelligence Non-Commissioned Officer Course – Africa, that began Aug. 29, graduated 23 students from six African partner nations from the course Oct. 17. Military Intelligence Non-Commission Officer Course- Africa II enhances capacity for intelligence collection, analysis, information sharing among the participating nations, and provides an environment designed to promote collaboration methods within the region’s military intelligence community. …. Students were introduced to topics such as: briefing fundamentals, creative and critical thinking, intelligence preparation of the operational environment, social network analysis, insurgency and counterinsurgency, and stability and peacekeeping operations …. Other staff members include two senior instructor mentors from the Regional Joint Intelligence Training Facility, two Canadian instructors, and three uniformed instructors from U.S. Africa Command ….”
- Africa (2) Canadian think tanker on intervening in Mali “…. The international community’s commitment to come to the aid of Mali is laudable, but it remains to be seen if this will translate into actions that could really improve the lives of ordinary Malians.”
- Public Safety Minister at conference: we sure are tightening up on cyber security “…. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews delivered a keynote address at SecureTech 2012, a conference focussing on current and emerging threats to security and public safety. The two main themes of this year’s conference are perimeter and cyber security. In his remarks, Minister Toews noted the progress made by the Government of Canada on protecting critical infrastructure from cyber threats and underscored the progress achieved since the launch of the 2010 Cyber Security Strategy and National Strategy and Action Plan on Critical Infrastructure ….”
