‘We fought like lions,’ Trudeau says of our soldiers as monument unveiled

All I can say is that whatever comes out moving forward regarding so called improvements to our file be it from the mandate letter or otherwise , read it well because they are going to make it look/sound a lot better than it really is!

Remember folks , the bureaucrats are running the show , and it's not their first kick at the can , they know how to save money on the backs of Veterans!

Navrat, I would say that's the route they will take......using last years data see comparisons

Australia

Lump Sum
Lump-sum benefits of up to $420,207 are available, but veterans can choose instead to receive this as a fixed-rate weekly pension which, for someone who starts receiving payments at the age of 25 and dies at the age on 80, would amount to a total of $902,261. This is tax-free.

Severely disabled
Lump sums are awarded for spouses and children of severely disabled vets. For each child, for instance, a veteran would receive $80,956.51.

Earnings loss
An earnings-loss benefit pays 100 per cent of the difference between what veterans were making before their injury and what they are making after their injury, for the first 45 weeks of incapacity. When the 45-week period ends, they are paid between 75 per cent and 100 per cent of the difference between what they were making preinjury and post-injury, depending on how many hours they are able to work. These payments are taxable.









Cheers

I heard the new pension is modelled on the Australian model but I heard it at the legion. I heard the legion was given a sneak peak of it for the upcoming convention in St. John. That's what the service officer was saying to us and he's a reg force veteran 3 years, a rcmp veteran and retired two years ago from CSIS but it really just might be a rumour ?

Trooper wrote "The lifelong pension is already set to be announced , they won't dare announce it now as it is so out to lunch even the energy bunny wants to hold off before announcing it."

My pulse tells me the bunny rabbit ain't capable of damage control. Nope. Nada.

He will get moved to some other portfolio before years end.

Reminds me how Fantino is doing up north, lest we forget his pension...

JT is the prime minister , he campaign for that position , he is not a Veteran that is why during the campaign he sent his staff to speak to Veterans asking what Veterans want.
He really only knows the basics of what Veterans were asking for , his staff put together a speech for JT outlining what Veterans are asking for , that is what he used in his campaign speech for Veterans . and that is what he used for his mandate letter sent to the energizer bunny!
He passed on that mandate letter on leaving it all up to the energizer bunny to fulfill.
Not holding up to his speech to end the Equitas Lawsuit is where JT lost all credibility with Veterans.
He no longer can be trusted on his word towards Veterans , it's as plain as that!

Teen is right the mandate letter is useless , the 15% ELB increase is BS.
Veterans raised concerns to Kent on scaling back the minimum from basic corporal to senior private.
The conservative & NDP critics also raised concerns on this particular promise , but guess what , Kent believes that his doing the right thing and the promise is being implemented as promised.
But it's not , only some Veterans will see the 15% increase while others will only see 5% or less.
There's what we all have to look forward to with regards to the mandate letter.

The lifelong pension is already set to be announced , they won't dare announce it now as it is so out to lunch even the energy bunny wants to hold off before announcing it.

The signs are out there for everyone to see , it is all a political game run by the bureaucrats and the energy bunny has bought right into it.

So yeah , it looks like the courts are going to be the ones who actually do something constructive for Veterans.

The PA will not come back and that's fact. But a combination of the PA and the NVC is something that can be done.

Navrat you are right the only way vets are going to get the benefits deserved is thru the courts.

Sad but that is our reality and now that we know JT is not keeping his promises it's time for all of us to throw our efforts behind the Equitas lawsuit and to Afghan vets like Bruce Moncur. These are the guys we need to put the public focus on.

JT called us lions well guess what JT old Lions are the meanest, crankiest Lions in the jungle because we have seen and lived the BS all governments have put us thru.

I wrote a reply in the post! I was a JT fan sort of, the mandate letter if truly implemented then nobody can complain, it would be the most improvements veterans have seen in a generation. What I can't understand is if JT doesn't follow thru then what's the purpose. Only the courts can help veterans JMO but I'm still hoping that the PA is brought back because that alone would solve a lot of problems. But it will be a lawsuit that will make the government finally pay

The mandate letter? Uh huh...

It's just a letter. A work in progress of false hope.

Be quite different if the Supreme Court of Canada
made it the law of the land... somehow.

Navrat I respect your dedication to the Liberal dream JT sold during the election.  But it is time for you to wake up and realize JT is a liar and he bought your vote with lies.

If he truly cared, from the heart as you say, why is the Equitas lawsuit back in the courts?

Why is JT deleting the sacred obligation in the NVC to veterans that was passed in the HoC before the election?

Why do you still believe in the Mandate letter even though it is now worthless because any improvements, including bringing the lifelong pension back, has to be approved by the Justice Department so as it does not conflict with their legal fight with veterans?

I'm sorry but anyone that still believes JT or the Mandate letter is going to solve all the veteran problems you are in denial.  

There is nothing wrong with admitting you made a mistake and bought into his charm.  Just read what Bruce Moncur is writing.  It is direct and to the point.  He is calling Hehr and JT out for what they truly are....liars who said anything to win to the veteran vote.

Trooper, I don't think the liberals can escape the Mandate Letter, really that letter if it is implemented represents the biggest improvements in veterans benefits in history, so let's just hope this lawsuit will be fixed and taken care of by Justin Mr Veteran Trudeau! You gotta have faith because nobody wants to go back to the deep dark blue days of the Harper Regime TM. I'd rather have sunny days and I think the country feels sunny, positive again! JMO

I wonder if JT was speaking from the heart when he said that he would end the Equitas Lawsuit if elected?


Trudeau said his government would also end other court cases involving the Conservative government, such as the one where he said the Tories are fighting to deprive veterans of their benefits.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-says-if-elected-he-would-not-seek-appeal-to-supreme-court-over-niqab/article26432350/

The Liberals’ campaign platform: “We will demonstrate the respect and appreciation for our veterans that Canadians rightly expect, and ensure that no veteran has to fight the government for the support and compensation they have earned.”

The Liberals are, in fact, doing the exact opposite of what they promised — forcing veterans to fight for just compensation in a court battle that could drag on for years.

http://ipolitics.ca/2016/05/19/why-is-trudeau-kicking-veterans-to-the-curb/

Well let's just say he gave the big long repetetive wave to the soldiers, civilians, and vets as he was leaving and there wasn't a lot of clapping. Actually there was a little bit more applause as he was leaving then when he got to the dedication.

The military guys following the horses on shit detail got a bigger applause then JT....arriving or departing!

Our Prime Minister spoke from the heart that I could never doubt that he intends to fulfill the mandate letter.

I was at that ceremony today and it was an outstanding dedication.  The urn of Vimy soil was brought to the front of the wall on a horse drawn carriage accompanied with a dozen horses where all riders were in WW1 Canadian uniforms, rifle holders, and bandaliers across their chests.  The pall bearers of the urn were escorted from the road to the wall by a soldier in complete WW1 uniform who represented all the soldiers who trained at Borden for both world wars. 

Along with the wall there is also a bronze statue of a bugler.  Behind the bugler is the start of the path to WW1 training trenches that were restored 6 years ago.

The urn was put in the lap of a 102 year old WW2 veteran who was then pushed to the monument where he handed the urn over to be put in the wall to be encased in glass to be on display for another 100 years.

Three vintage Harvard aircraft did a fly by at the end of the ceremony.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau helped unveil Canada’s newest war monument on Thursday in a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the country’s largest military base.

Speaking in bright sunshine before hundreds of dignitaries, armed forces personnel and members of the public, Trudeau praised the efforts of veterans, those who have died in battle, and those who currently serve.

Canada and Canadians have earned respect around the world, he said, not just because we are polite or friendly and peaceable.

“The reason the world pays heed to Canada is because we fought like lions in the trenches of World War I, on the beaches of World War II, and in theatres and conflicts scattered around the globe,” Trudeau said.

“We showed our ability to stand for our values, and fight and sacrifice for them in faraway places.”

With the pomp and ceremony befitting the occasion, “sacred soil” from the First World War battle of Vimy Ridge brought back to Canada last year was placed in an opening in the new memorial wall to serve as a permanent reminder of, and tribute to, those whose blood drenched the killing fields in France 99 years ago.

“We remember their courage and their sacrifice with a memorial that, like the resolve of Canadians themselves, survived a second world war,” Trudeau said.

“Nearly a century after their loss, Canada remembers and continues to mourn.”

The monument — a nine-metre polished black and white granite wall along with a bronze statue of a bugler nearby — forms the ceremonial northern entrance to Canadian Forces Base Borden near, Barrie, Ont.

The project was designed by Canadian artist and sculptor Marlene Hilton Moore. Funds for the monument were largely raised locally.

About two million military personnel have trained at Borden over the past century and about 20,000 more soldiers, sailors and airmen train at the base every year.

Trudeau said the country was in the process of reinvigorating its role as peacekeepers and stepping up its efforts to engage constructively with the rest of the world.

“Canada is committed to playing our part, indeed, to continue to punch well above our weight,” the prime minister said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/we-fought-like-lions-trudeau-says-of-our-soldiers-as-monument-unveiled/article30374748/