Kent Hehr pledges to fix “overlooked” and “bungled” treatment of vets

Cost effective people remember it is tax payer's dollars. We don't want money wasted like it was in the past. there will be a lot less need for one on one if promises are implemented a phone call will be quite reasonable my cm is in Quebec and i don't know where my closest office is anymore it closed years ago and it was in Peterborough a pretty big place 110 km away I would assume it is in belleville which would cover kingston to peterbourgh north to algonquin park and south to us border basically 1000 or more sq km and it would be in the middle. never had any problem getting what ever I need over the phone. right now benefits are more important than offices in my opinion.

ya see when there are two offices within walking distance of each other and some fracking politician says noooo we got to leave them in place and close offices 5-6 hors away from the next really makes me questioning the motives for the closers in the first place .

propat

I know. Like here in Halifax, we have two VAC offices. One in Halifax, and one in Dartmouth The same as in Ottawa, where they have an office in Ottawa and another in Hull. it wouldn't surprise me if it happened in other places too. If they want to be smart with the money, why not move them all into a single office, and only pay rent and utilities for one location. Then use the money that you saved from that move to help pay for those re-opened offices.

"Hopefully" bigrex, the lefthand knows what the righthands doing and will act
as a bridge of positive action.

9 Offices...
I read that initial article this morning, including the editors update.
And it all just pxxses me off.

If the Cons thought those 9 offices were not cost-effective,
why didn't they just move them to where they WOULD be?
For a bigger bang on the Canadian taxpayers buck?

Flipping that coin, the Liberals (who I voted for) promised to re-open those 9 offices.
That article reminds me of the same bullet to a different foot.
Perhaps they should have said... “ We WILL re-open 9 offices somewhere ”

It ain't some simple clap-off and clap-on again thing.

Whoever is in power KNOWS where we are in demographics (VAC), DND, OSSIS's,
support units, bases, and populations of those still serving and where they are.

Now I haven't been to Cape Breton in years.
And I am extremely fortunate to have a D.O. 5 kms away from me.
But if there is a double void of vets or more 50 – 100 km from me,
I wish my D.O. would move to where they are.

You don't just close shop... you know where to find us!  Pinger.

Good to see you post Navrat.

True, he does not specify ELB, just saying to give injured Veterans to get an increase to 90%. It should be seamless, since SISIP is the responsibility of DND, and Kent being partially responsible for DND. In the past there has been a delay between the two programs, but hopefully they will be amended at the same time, because of that new link between the departments.

agreed .

propat

Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Mandate Letter

Office of the Prime Minister

Dear Mr. Hehr:

I am honoured that you have agreed to serve Canadians as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

We have promised Canadians a government that will bring real change – in both what we do and how we do it. Canadians sent a clear message in this election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a strong and growing middle class. Canadians expect us to fulfill our commitments, and it is my expectation that you will do your part in delivering on those promises to Canadians.

We made a commitment to invest in growing our economy, strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it. We committed to provide more direct help to those who need it by giving less to those who do not. We committed to public investment as the best way to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity. We committed to a responsible, transparent fiscal plan for challenging economic times.

I expect Canadians to hold us accountable for delivering these commitments, and I expect all ministers to do their part – individually and collectively – to improve economic opportunity and security for Canadians.

It is my expectation that we will deliver real results and professional government to Canadians. To ensure that we have a strong focus on results, I will expect Cabinet committees and individual ministers to: track and report on the progress of our commitments; assess the effectiveness of our work; and align our resources with priorities, in order to get the results we want and Canadians deserve.

If we are to tackle the real challenges we face as a country – from a struggling middle class to the threat of climate change – Canadians need to have faith in their government’s honesty and willingness to listen. I expect that our work will be informed by performance measurement, evidence, and feedback from Canadians. We will direct our resources to those initiatives that are having the greatest, positive impact on the lives of Canadians, and that will allow us to meet our commitments to them. I expect you to report regularly on your progress toward fulfilling our commitments and to help develop effective measures that assess the impact of the organizations for which you are answerable.

I made a personal commitment to bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa. We made a commitment to Canadians to pursue our goals with a renewed sense of collaboration. Improved partnerships with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments are essential to deliver the real, positive change that we promised Canadians. No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples. It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.

We have also committed to set a higher bar for openness and transparency in government. It is time to shine more light on government to ensure it remains focused on the people it serves. Government and its information should be open by default. If we want Canadians to trust their government, we need a government that trusts Canadians. It is important that we acknowledge mistakes when we make them. Canadians do not expect us to be perfect – they expect us to be honest, open, and sincere in our efforts to serve the public interest.

Our platform guides our government. Over the course of our four-year mandate, I expect us to deliver on all of our commitments. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we fulfill our promises, while living within our fiscal plan. Other issues will arise or will be brought to our attention by Canadians, stakeholders, and the public service. It is my expectation that you will engage constructively and thoughtfully and add priorities to your agenda when appropriate.

As Minister, you will be held accountable for our commitment to bring a different style of leadership to government. This will include: close collaboration with your colleagues; meaningful engagement with Opposition Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Committees and the public service; constructive dialogue with Canadians, civil society, and stakeholders, including business, organized labour, the broader public sector, and the not-for-profit and charitable sectors; and identifying ways to find solutions and avoid escalating conflicts unnecessarily. As well, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, indeed all journalists in Canada and abroad, are professionals who, by asking necessary questions, contribute in an important way to the democratic process. Your professionalism and engagement with them is essential.

Canadians expect us, in our work, to reflect the values we all embrace: inclusion, honesty, hard work, fiscal prudence, and generosity of spirit. We will be a government that governs for all Canadians, and I expect you, in your work, to bring Canadians together.

You are expected to do your part to fulfill our government’s commitment to transparent, merit-based appointments, to help ensure gender parity and that Indigenous Canadians and minority groups are better reflected in positions of leadership.

Veterans and their families have earned our respect and gratitude. Veterans should not have to fight their own government for the support and compensation they have earned. As Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, your overarching goal will be to ensure that our government lives up to our sacred obligation to veterans and their families. I expect you to ensure that veterans receive the respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserve. You will ensure that we honour the service of our veterans and provide new career opportunities, make it easier for veterans to access services – including mental health services – and do more to support the families of Canada’s veterans. I ask you to work closely with your colleague the Minister of National Defence to ensure a seamless transition for Canadian Forces members to the programs and services of your department.

In particular, I will expect you to work with your colleagues and through established legislative, regulatory, and Cabinet processes, including our first Budget, to deliver on your top priorities:

◾Work with the Minister of National Defence to reduce complexity, overhaul service delivery, and strengthen partnerships between Veterans Affairs and National Defence.

◾Re-establish lifelong pensions as an option for our injured veterans, and increase the value of the disability award, while ensuring that every injured veteran has access to financial advice and support so that they can determine the form of compensation that works best for them and their families.

◾Expand access to the Permanent Impairment Allowance to better support veterans who have had their career options limited by a service-related illness or injury.

◾Provide injured veterans with 90 percent of their pre-release salary, and index this benefit so that it keeps pace with inflation.

◾Create a new Veterans Education Benefit that will provide full support for the costs of up to four years of college, university, or technical education for Canadian Forces veterans after completion of service.

◾Improve career and vocational assistance for veterans through ensuring that job opportunities for returning veterans are included in Community Benefits Agreements for new federally-funded infrastructure projects.

◾Deliver a higher standard of service and care, and ensure that a “one veteran, one standard” approach is upheld.

◾Re-open the nine Veterans Affairs service offices recently closed, hire more service delivery staff, and fully implement all of the Auditor General’s recommendations on enhancing mental health service delivery to veterans.

◾Create two new centres of excellence in veterans’ care, including one with a specialization in mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder and related issues for both veterans and first responders.

◾Provide greater education, counselling, and training for families who are providing care and support to veterans living with physical and/or mental health issues as a result of their service.

◾End the time limit for surviving spouses to apply for vocational rehabilitation and assistance services.

◾Increase the veteran survivor’s pension amount from 50 percent to 70 percent.

◾Eliminate the “marriage after 60” clawback clause, so that surviving spouses of veterans receive appropriate pension and health benefits.

◾Double funding to the Last Post Fund to ensure that all veterans receive a dignified burial.

◾Work with the Minister of National Defence to develop a suicide prevention strategy for Canadian Armed Forces personnel and veterans.

These priorities draw heavily from our election platform commitments. The government’s agenda will be further articulated through Cabinet discussions and in the Speech from the Throne when Parliament opens.

I expect you to work closely with your Deputy Minister and his or her senior officials to ensure that the ongoing work of your department is undertaken in a professional manner and that decisions are made in the public interest. Your Deputy Minister will brief you on issues your department may be facing that may require decisions to be made quickly. It is my expectation that you will apply our values and principles to these decisions, so that issues facing your department are dealt with in a timely and responsible manner, and in a way that is consistent with the overall direction of our government.

Our ability, as a government, to successfully implement our platform depends on our ability to thoughtfully consider the professional, non-partisan advice of public servants. Each and every time a government employee comes to work, they do so in service to Canada, with a goal of improving our country and the lives of all Canadians. I expect you to establish a collaborative working relationship with your Deputy Minister, whose role, and the role of public servants under his or her direction, is to support you in the performance of your responsibilities.

In the coming weeks, the Privy Council Office (PCO) will be contacting you to set up a meeting with PCO officials, your Deputy Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office to further discuss your plans, commitments and priorities.

We have committed to an open, honest government that is accountable to Canadians, lives up to the highest ethical standards, and applies the utmost care and prudence in the handling of public funds. I expect you to embody these values in your work and observe the highest ethical standards in everything you do. When dealing with our Cabinet colleagues, Parliament, stakeholders, or the public, it is important that your behaviour and decisions meet Canadians’ well-founded expectations of our government. I want Canadians to look on their own government with pride and trust.

As Minister, you must ensure that you are aware of and fully compliant with the Conflict of Interest Act and Treasury Board policies and guidelines. You will be provided with a copy of Open and Accountable Government to assist you as you undertake your responsibilities. I ask that you carefully read it and ensure that your staff does so as well. I draw your attention in particular to the Ethical Guidelines set out in Annex A of that document, which apply to you and your staff. As noted in the Guidelines, you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality, and both the performance of your official duties and the arrangement of your private affairs should bear the closest public scrutiny. This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. Please also review the areas of Open and Accountable Government that we have expanded or strengthened, including the guidance on non-partisan use of departmental communications resources and the new code of conduct for exempt staff.

I know I can count on you to fulfill the important responsibilities entrusted in you. In turn, please know that you can count on me to support you every day in your role as Minister.

I am deeply grateful to have this opportunity to serve with you as we build an even greater country. Together, we will work tirelessly to honour the trust Canadians have given us.

Yours sincerely,

Prime Minister of Canada signature

Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-veterans-affairs-and-associate-minister-national-defence-mandate-letter

Yes I do Recon based on the thread I just posted called Mandate Letter to MVA Hehr from Prime Minister Trudeau where the increase is clearly defined in the letter.
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-veterans-affairs-and-associate-minister-national-defence-mandate-letter

In everyones Opinion ... do you think SISIP LTD will increase from 75 - 90 % as well ?

For Country
Retired Army MasterSniper
Dave Fitzpatrick
Family of .......7....... get er' done bye's !

ya bigrex that is something that we will need to watch the details on very closely .

propat

thank you johnny great stuff .

propat

Beautiful ! Shakespeare couldn't have written that better!

I saw something in that letter that was not part of he platform, IIRC. Not only are they increasing ELB to 90%, but they are also removing the 2% cap on annual COLA increases. It might not make a difference now, but when we have seen COLA increases on disability pensions as high as 7% (2006), it could really add up over a few years.

Mandate letter from PM too MVA. I am not sure if this has been on here yet, but just came across the mandate letter';

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-veterans-affairs-and-associate-minister-national-defence-mandate-letter

Ohhh I agree Bigrex....you're preaching to the choir........there is no reason why the government (any government) cannot provide veterans with financial compensation we deserve. The Cons have have given billions to other countries.....and like you mentioned 1.3 billion ear-marked for veterans and we can go on with what they did with taxpayers money and we all know what they didn't do with it.

In the news Haper and his party keep scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong in the election......rotfl.......they just can't fathom it is not what they did or didn't do during the election.....it was what they did years leading up to the election and how they shafted the Canadians for years!!
JMO

Riddick