Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
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Re: Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
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The Federal Liberals are planning to make changes to compensation packages for soldiers wounded in battle. Currently, soldiers are able to receive a tax-free, lump sum payment, or that same amount of money over time. Critics of the newly proposed plan say it is simply the same lump sum made into monthly payments, and does not provide the financial security required by veterans.
Guest: Michael Blais. President & Founder of Canadians Veterans Advocacy.
The Federal Liberals are planning to make changes to compensation packages for soldiers wounded in battle. Currently, soldiers are able to receive a tax-free, lump sum payment, or that same amount of money over time. Critics of the newly proposed plan say it is simply the same lump sum made into monthly payments, and does not provide the financial security required by veterans.
Guest: Michael Blais. President & Founder of Canadians Veterans Advocacy.
May 29, 2017
Guest- Guest
Re: Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
My voting strategy is very simple. CHANGE them every 4 years. Do not give them time to qualify for pensions.
czerv- CSAT Member
- Number of posts : 299
Location : Ontario
Registration date : 2013-05-15
Re: Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
I'm wondering how long it's going to be before these advisory groups finally realize that they are being used by our Minister and his team. Perhaps they should get together and allow individuals from the groups to put on the table what this government has implemented, from what has been advised to the Minister. Perhaps although with good intentions, these groups could be doing more harm than good feeding Hehr's PR machine. A couple of them went before the Standing Committee on Finance to raise issues a couple of Weeks ago and at the end the chairman did not know where to direct the concerns. I think I will forward them to the Minister and hopefully he will look at it, he said. And then there's getting rid of Mike Blais, the only one who from the beginning raised concerns about the lifelong pension referring the promise as inline to the tax free pension from the old act. Yes, advocating is a must, but sometimes it can work against you. They need to ask themselves what are we changing? What are we improving? What has been accomplished by these groups? I would say the government wants to engage with Veterans and groups such as the advisory committee. But don't be fooled in thinking they want to implement what is being brought forward, and proposed, it is an old tactic used by the government to use us all as PR subjects for their own interest. Remember that these bureaucrats were writing up legislation way before the Afghan War, they are very good at what they do, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than these advisory groups, or those attending stakeholder summits to make a dent to that government circle who runs our file. What about articles and the media to get our message out? Yes, they must continue but government circle has been able to control any backlash that comes from the articles and the media. Social media is a great weapon that we can continue to use, but I think we must go beyond the articles to increase our chances of winning our cause.
Regarding who to vote for, well it's a personal choice, but if we are talking strictly the Veterans file, we do not have much room to move as it seems as though all three governments are going to implement what those bureaucrats bring forward, and we all know, and seen what that is. Still a personal choice. Just the fact that the Liberals did not break away from the status quo, as it relates to continuing to allow the bureaucrats to run our file, that's enough for me to not vote for the Liberals in 2019. JMO
Regarding who to vote for, well it's a personal choice, but if we are talking strictly the Veterans file, we do not have much room to move as it seems as though all three governments are going to implement what those bureaucrats bring forward, and we all know, and seen what that is. Still a personal choice. Just the fact that the Liberals did not break away from the status quo, as it relates to continuing to allow the bureaucrats to run our file, that's enough for me to not vote for the Liberals in 2019. JMO
Guest- Guest
Re: Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
Seems to me that that Guy Parent thing is a mouth peace for whoever/whichever party is at the top. He is not representing veterans.
Promises before next election? BS: not voting for you on that ground.
Promises before next election? BS: not voting for you on that ground.
czerv- CSAT Member
- Number of posts : 299
Location : Ontario
Registration date : 2013-05-15
Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
Liberals promised veterans a lifetime pension 'option' during 2015 election campaign
A group that advises Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr on policy issues has fired a warning shot over the Liberal government's plan to offer wounded veterans the "option" of lifetime pensions, CBC News has learned.
The panel, consisting of former soldiers and advocates, says the long-awaited overhaul must not be a simple redistribution of money that's already available.
In the last election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals appealed to aggrieved veterans with a promise to "re-establish lifelong pensions as an option" as well as increase the value of compensation for an injury.
The current system, as introduced and championed by the former Conservative government, sees wounded soldiers who've lost limbs or suffered emotional trauma given a lump sum payment — or the option of taking that one-time, tax-free award "over time."
The policy advisory group, which has acted as Hehr's sounding board, is getting signals that the Liberals mean to simply take the lump sum award and divide it into monthly payments.
In a May 12 letter, the panel warned that such a scheme "does not provide the lifetime financial security" that veterans were expecting from the Liberal campaign promise.
Waiting on the details
The spring federal budget reiterated the pension pledge, but attached no price tag to the assurance and simply told the public to stay tuned for more details and dollar figures when a revised program would be rolled out later this year.
The Liberals are expected to consider a final version of their plan over the summer.
At the time of the budget, a senior government official speaking on background said the intention is to roll out the revised pension plan later this year and issue cheques to veterans by 2018 — a year ahead of the next election call.
The new plan, however, "would not seek parity with the old pension act," that pre-dates the Conservative changes, the official told CBC News last spring.
At the same time, the letter to Hehr expressed frustration that the advisory panel's recommendations were being ignored and "deliberately pushed down the line for further review and evaluation."
Specifically, the advisers pointed to their October 2016 report, delivered to Veterans Affairs, which suggested rolling a suite of already existing benefits and entitlements, including the Exceptional Incapacity Allowance and Attendance Allowance, into "a single stream of income for life."
Minister's statement
A government official emphasized, on background, no decision has yet been made and noted that if the solution was as simple as dividing up the lump sum, it would have already happened.
Hehr, in a written statement on Sunday, said he is balancing a lot of different advice and viewpoints.
"While I cannot comment on the specifics of a letter sent to me in confidence, I will say that I value the opinions and contributions of each of the six advisory groups who provide valued advice to myself and the department as we work to fulfill our commitment to improve the services and benefits offered to veterans and their families," Hehr said, noting how much the government had already invested in new and improved services.
"We have a lot still to accomplish and, while we cannot do everything at once, we will continue to welcome input from our advisory groups, as well as the broader veterans community, and experts within our department and without to ensure we develop the most effective policy for present and future veterans."
The political stakes for the Liberal government are high and getting higher, particularly in light of how Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan have recently framed the defence policy review in terms of caring for the troops.
"It is going to be extremely important, moving forward, that Canadians see their government has heard the pride that all Canadians feel in supporting our troops and that we demonstrate with concrete actions and investments that our priority is in supporting the extraordinary men and women of the Canadian Forces, who choose to serve," Trudeau said at last week's NATO Summit.
Current vs. last system
The Liberals have invested, or plan to invest over the next five years, more than $6 billion in improved benefits for ex-soldiers.
However, it was the prospect of returning to pensions-for-life for the wounded which galvanized the veterans community in the last campaign.
The existing lump sum award is worth a maximum of $360,000 and has been a political lightning rod since being introduced in 2006 as part of a series of benefits changes under the new veterans charter.
It's the centrepiece of a class-action lawsuit by Afghan veterans, who allege that the new system is not as generous as the one it replaced under the old pension act.
In defending against the suit, Justice Department lawyers argued in 2013 the federal government had no extraordinary, legislated obligation to wounded soldiers — something that drove veterans to campaign against the former Conservative government.
How a new Liberal plan to spread out payments would differ from one former prime minister Stephen Harper's government attempted to deliver in 2011 is unclear.
At that time, Conservatives were just starting to feel the heat of disgruntled veterans, and as part of the five-year review of the charter they introduced a plan to give recipients the "option" of regular payments, as opposed to the lump sum.
Sean Bruyea, an advocate for veterans, says the intent of the original overhaul under the new veterans charter was to do away with lifetime pensions altogether.
A tradition of lifelong pensions
The bureaucracy has been tying itself in knots ever since the Liberals were elected to figure how to avoid fulfilling that promise, he said.
"I've never seen so much song and dance and jiggery-pokery to cover-up from doing the right thing," said Bruyea, who fought a high-profile battle with Veterans Affairs over a privacy breach where his personal medical information was spread around the department.
"We have almost a century of honouring lifelong injuries with lifelong compensation and they are throwing that out the window."
Others, such as the veterans ombudsman, Guy Parent, have argued there are other benefits in addition to the lump sum that help make up the difference.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/vets-lifetime-pensions-1.4133466
A group that advises Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr on policy issues has fired a warning shot over the Liberal government's plan to offer wounded veterans the "option" of lifetime pensions, CBC News has learned.
The panel, consisting of former soldiers and advocates, says the long-awaited overhaul must not be a simple redistribution of money that's already available.
In the last election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals appealed to aggrieved veterans with a promise to "re-establish lifelong pensions as an option" as well as increase the value of compensation for an injury.
The current system, as introduced and championed by the former Conservative government, sees wounded soldiers who've lost limbs or suffered emotional trauma given a lump sum payment — or the option of taking that one-time, tax-free award "over time."
The policy advisory group, which has acted as Hehr's sounding board, is getting signals that the Liberals mean to simply take the lump sum award and divide it into monthly payments.
In a May 12 letter, the panel warned that such a scheme "does not provide the lifetime financial security" that veterans were expecting from the Liberal campaign promise.
Waiting on the details
The spring federal budget reiterated the pension pledge, but attached no price tag to the assurance and simply told the public to stay tuned for more details and dollar figures when a revised program would be rolled out later this year.
The Liberals are expected to consider a final version of their plan over the summer.
At the time of the budget, a senior government official speaking on background said the intention is to roll out the revised pension plan later this year and issue cheques to veterans by 2018 — a year ahead of the next election call.
The new plan, however, "would not seek parity with the old pension act," that pre-dates the Conservative changes, the official told CBC News last spring.
At the same time, the letter to Hehr expressed frustration that the advisory panel's recommendations were being ignored and "deliberately pushed down the line for further review and evaluation."
Specifically, the advisers pointed to their October 2016 report, delivered to Veterans Affairs, which suggested rolling a suite of already existing benefits and entitlements, including the Exceptional Incapacity Allowance and Attendance Allowance, into "a single stream of income for life."
Minister's statement
A government official emphasized, on background, no decision has yet been made and noted that if the solution was as simple as dividing up the lump sum, it would have already happened.
Hehr, in a written statement on Sunday, said he is balancing a lot of different advice and viewpoints.
"While I cannot comment on the specifics of a letter sent to me in confidence, I will say that I value the opinions and contributions of each of the six advisory groups who provide valued advice to myself and the department as we work to fulfill our commitment to improve the services and benefits offered to veterans and their families," Hehr said, noting how much the government had already invested in new and improved services.
"We have a lot still to accomplish and, while we cannot do everything at once, we will continue to welcome input from our advisory groups, as well as the broader veterans community, and experts within our department and without to ensure we develop the most effective policy for present and future veterans."
The political stakes for the Liberal government are high and getting higher, particularly in light of how Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan have recently framed the defence policy review in terms of caring for the troops.
"It is going to be extremely important, moving forward, that Canadians see their government has heard the pride that all Canadians feel in supporting our troops and that we demonstrate with concrete actions and investments that our priority is in supporting the extraordinary men and women of the Canadian Forces, who choose to serve," Trudeau said at last week's NATO Summit.
Current vs. last system
The Liberals have invested, or plan to invest over the next five years, more than $6 billion in improved benefits for ex-soldiers.
However, it was the prospect of returning to pensions-for-life for the wounded which galvanized the veterans community in the last campaign.
The existing lump sum award is worth a maximum of $360,000 and has been a political lightning rod since being introduced in 2006 as part of a series of benefits changes under the new veterans charter.
It's the centrepiece of a class-action lawsuit by Afghan veterans, who allege that the new system is not as generous as the one it replaced under the old pension act.
In defending against the suit, Justice Department lawyers argued in 2013 the federal government had no extraordinary, legislated obligation to wounded soldiers — something that drove veterans to campaign against the former Conservative government.
How a new Liberal plan to spread out payments would differ from one former prime minister Stephen Harper's government attempted to deliver in 2011 is unclear.
At that time, Conservatives were just starting to feel the heat of disgruntled veterans, and as part of the five-year review of the charter they introduced a plan to give recipients the "option" of regular payments, as opposed to the lump sum.
Sean Bruyea, an advocate for veterans, says the intent of the original overhaul under the new veterans charter was to do away with lifetime pensions altogether.
A tradition of lifelong pensions
The bureaucracy has been tying itself in knots ever since the Liberals were elected to figure how to avoid fulfilling that promise, he said.
"I've never seen so much song and dance and jiggery-pokery to cover-up from doing the right thing," said Bruyea, who fought a high-profile battle with Veterans Affairs over a privacy breach where his personal medical information was spread around the department.
"We have almost a century of honouring lifelong injuries with lifelong compensation and they are throwing that out the window."
Others, such as the veterans ombudsman, Guy Parent, have argued there are other benefits in addition to the lump sum that help make up the difference.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/vets-lifetime-pensions-1.4133466
Guest- Guest
Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
Heat turned up over Liberal promise of lifetime pension for wounded veterans
Liberals promised veterans a lifetime pension 'option' during 2015 election campaign
By Murray Brewster, CBC News May 29, 2017
Veterans Affairs Minster Kent Hehr has been warned by an advisory panel that the Liberal promise to return to lifetime pensions needs to be a substantial improvement over the current system.
A group that advises Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr on policy issues has fired a warning shot over the Liberal government's plan to offer wounded veterans the "option" of lifetime pensions, CBC News has learned.
The panel, consisting of former soldiers and advocates, says the long-awaited overhaul must not be a simple redistribution of money that's already available.
In the last election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals appealed to aggrieved veterans with a promise to "re-establish lifelong pensions as an option" as well as increase the value of compensation for an injury.
The current system, as introduced and championed by the former Conservative government, sees wounded soldiers who've lost limbs or suffered emotional trauma given a lump sum payment — or the option of taking that one-time, tax-free award "over time."
The policy advisory group, which has acted as Hehr's sounding board, is getting signals that the Liberals mean to simply take the lump sum award and divide it into monthly payments.
In a May 12 letter, the panel warned that such a scheme "does not provide the lifetime financial security" that veterans were expecting from the Liberal campaign promise.
Waiting on the details
The spring federal budget reiterated the pension pledge, but attached no price tag to the assurance and simply told the public to stay tuned for more details and dollar figures when a revised program would be rolled out later this year.
The Liberals are expected to consider a final version of their plan over the summer.
Justin Trudeau campaigned on restoring lifelong pensions for wounded veterans in the last election, but Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr has been non-committal on a timeline.
At the time of the budget, a senior government official speaking on background said the intention is to roll out the revised pension plan later this year and issue cheques to veterans by 2018 — a year ahead of the next election call.
The new plan, however, "would not seek parity with the old pension act," that pre-dates the Conservative changes, the official told CBC News last spring.
At the same time, the letter to Hehr expressed frustration that the advisory panel's recommendations were being ignored and "deliberately pushed down the line for further review and evaluation."
Specifically, the advisers pointed to their October 2016 report, delivered to Veterans Affairs, which suggested rolling a suite of already existing benefits and entitlements, including the Exceptional Incapacity Allowance and Attendance Allowance, into "a single stream of income for life."
Minister's statement
A government official emphasized, on background, no decision has yet been made and noted that if the solution was as simple as dividing up the lump sum, it would have already happened.
Hehr, in a written statement on Sunday, said he is balancing a lot of different advice and viewpoints.
'I've never seen so much song and dance and jiggery-pokery to cover-up from doing the right thing'
- Sean Bruyea, veterans advocate
- Sean Bruyea, veterans advocate
"While I cannot comment on the specifics of a letter sent to me in confidence, I will say that I value the opinions and contributions of each of the six advisory groups who provide valued advice to myself and the department as we work to fulfill our commitment to improve the services and benefits offered to veterans and their families," Hehr said, noting how much the government had already invested in new and improved services.
"We have a lot still to accomplish and, while we cannot do everything at once, we will continue to welcome input from our advisory groups, as well as the broader veterans community, and experts within our department and without to ensure we develop the most effective policy for present and future veterans."
The political stakes for the Liberal government are high and getting higher, particularly in light of how Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan have recently framed the defence policy review in terms of caring for the troops.
"It is going to be extremely important, moving forward, that Canadians see their government has heard the pride that all Canadians feel in supporting our troops and that we demonstrate with concrete actions and investments that our priority is in supporting the extraordinary men and women of the Canadian Forces, who choose to serve," Trudeau said at last week's NATO Summit.
Current vs. last system
The Liberals have invested, or plan to invest over the next five years, more than $6 billion in improved benefits for ex-soldiers.
However, it was the prospect of returning to pensions-for-life for the wounded which galvanized the veterans community in the last campaign.
The existing lump sum award is worth a maximum of $360,000 and has been a political lightning rod since being introduced in 2006 as part of a series of benefits changes under the new veterans charter.
It's the centrepiece of a class-action lawsuit by Afghan veterans, who allege that the new system is not as generous as the one it replaced under the old pension act.
In defending against the suit, Justice Department lawyers argued in 2013 the federal government had no extraordinary, legislated obligation to wounded soldiers — something that drove veterans to campaign against the former Conservative government.
How a new Liberal plan to spread out payments would differ from one former prime minister Stephen Harper's government attempted to deliver in 2011 is unclear.
Veterans advocate Sean Bruyea says the Liberal government should live up to its promise to return to lifetime pensions for wounded soldiers.
At that time, Conservatives were just starting to feel the heat of disgruntled veterans, and as part of the five-year review of the charter they introduced a plan to give recipients the "option" of regular payments, as opposed to the lump sum.
Sean Bruyea, an advocate for veterans, says the intent of the original overhaul under the new veterans charter was to do away with lifetime pensions altogether.
A tradition of lifelong pensions
The bureaucracy has been tying itself in knots ever since the Liberals were elected to figure how to avoid fulfilling that promise, he said.
"I've never seen so much song and dance and jiggery-pokery to cover-up from doing the right thing," said Bruyea, who fought a high-profile battle with Veterans Affairs over a privacy breach where his personal medical information was spread around the department.
"We have almost a century of honouring lifelong injuries with lifelong compensation and they are throwing that out the window."
Others, such as the veterans ombudsman, Guy Parent, have argued there are other benefits in addition to the lump sum that help make up the difference.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vets-lifetime-pensions-1.4133466
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