Kent Hehr's Town Hall Stakeholder Summit May 10 2016

Live today on Facebook at 1130 - a Town Hall where Minister Hehr will be answering questions about:

1. Commemoration
2. Well-being
3. Marijuana for Medical purposes
4. Service Excellence
5. Veterans in Crisis
6. Reasonable Economic Security

You can leave your questions in the comment section.

https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairsCanada

https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairsCanada/videos/1704720143110359/
https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairsCanada/videos?fref=photo


The format is very good and I was very hopeful.
Sadly part way through it started breaking up a lot. Maybe the playback will be better.
Even more sadly the Q&A was uninspired.
No timelines, nothing new, nothing that hadn't been repeated and rehearsed many times.
The questions selected off Facebook were stodgy and already covered.
Oh yeah, I forgot - it was a Town hall so same old - same old.
Still, I am going to watch it again.

Please let me know if you have problems viewing the Video Link ? I can re post the link.

This is one of the Comments on Facebook regarding the Town Hall.

Comment: "It's nice that she hasn't picked any of the big questions on here seems only the ones he has a que card for get picked"

Reply to Comment: "The Minister doesn't give us credit for being able to see the "production" for what it was. A scripted presentation. The information was a rehash of previous interviews and press releases. We expected more substance, more information, more MEAT."

To me the most important question asked was from Mike Blais.

Mike asked our Minister - What is your intent on reinstating the pension act and providing a time frame so Veterans will have re assurance to know that promise that we are returning to the pension act ?
What is the time frame ?

Kent answered - We are committed to every Item in our mandate letter , those are still priorities for the Prime Minister as well as the Minister of this department.
We made great strides so far but I only been in my job for 6 Months , drinking from the fire hose and getting out as much policy as we can , working with various departments to make Veterans lives better.
We got to keep working on the financial piece so injured people are going to have the ability to build their lives.
We've done a lot but were not there yet Mike , we know that.

That said , how many of you here on CSAT think that their going to bring back the pension act ?

Well he may be 6 months in as Minister but he sure uses that mandate letter when he is asked a serious question. Personally it's time for him to drop that mandate letter excuse. Must of heard it a couple dozen times over 75 minutes of him being online.

As for the PA don't see it happening. If it was the PA coming back it would have been done already. Another reason I don't see it happening.....review committee's. They are stalling and it is pathetic.

Heard/seen this answer a lot over the the few days.
"I've only been in my job for 6 Months" and
"We've done a lot...we're not there yet..."

Part of me wants to give the benefit of the doubt but then part of me wants to     

I agree with you guys and gals , but I'm scratching my head here , where in the Mandate Letter does it promise to bring back the Pension Act ?

And that is what is so bloody annoying. He was asked, heard comments that a lot of veterans think the PA is coming back and Hehr has not even attempted to clarify it!

This is the worst part of having a lawyer in as the MVA. They know that they cannot be held to account, IF they use, or avoid, the proper words. So far they have been very careful not to outright claim they will bring back the PA pension. All they will state is that it will be a lifelong pension, which could mean anything. It could be half of what the PA pension pays, taxed, and with no survivor benefits, and still meet the definition of a lifelong pension. I still hope that it will be the same level of financial compensation as what is offered by the PA, but the longer they keep their intentions secret, the less likely it becomes.

I do not see them reinstating lifelong pensions, especially with the intent of increasing the Disability Award by $50,000.

I can see them reinstating the lifelong pensions, as an option. The only thing that remains to be seen is in what form that pension takes, and how those that have received the lump sum payments will be handled. Will they have to pay that money back, before they can collect the full new monthly pension? Will they even be entitled to the pension for previously claimed conditions, or will it strictly be on a go forward basis? Too many unknown variables at this moment.

trooper that is a " leading " question from mike . the return of PA pension has been something he has been calling for forever now . I don't think you will here mike call the promises lifelong pension very often he will likely call it PA pension all the time or mostly all the time . im also willing to bet he will refer to it as such EVERY time he corresponds with the minister .

he will do this as an attempt to imprint it on him and in this case in the question to try and get some sort of official confirmatory response . yaaa that didn't work out lol.

I don't see the PA pension happening for the same reason as teen really .

this thing would be done now . its the fracking PA pension for frack sakes its been around now for more than a few months I think . I think any reviews or studies needed on the thing that haven't been done before or since its initial inception haven't been completed by now they never will be .

ridiculous delay delay delay

propat

I'm betting on what I heard while in Ottawa last fall and from a liberal minister, life long pension will take a portion or all of the lump sum, divided in monthly instalments with a interest rate added to it. They are trying to solve the fact that some get the lump sum, blow it all on things they do not need and within 6 months are in more trouble then they were previously. Time will tell but do not think they will bring back the PA Pensions.