Posts Tagged ‘Veterans’

Royal Visit Headlined Year A little after 11 a.m. on November 11, 2009, His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, placed a wreath at the National War Memorial in memory of all Canadians who have died in the military or merchant navy services of Canada. Dressed in his Canadian Forces uniform—he is Colonel-in-Chief of six regiments in Canada—he joined Michaëlle Jean, the Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces, also resplendent in her green army uniform. They formed the vice-regal group, with the national Silver Cross mother, the Prime Minister of Canada, the speakers of both [...]

We welcome Quebec member of Parliament Jean-Pierre Blackburn to his position as Veterans Affairs minister. Blackburn, who was sworn in as minister Jan. 19, is a veteran MP who served under Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1993 and then returned to Parliament in 2006. He has been serving as minister of National Revenue and minister of state for agriculture since 2008 and, while he moved from National Revenue to Veterans Affairs, he retains his cabinet position of minister of state for agriculture. As Veterans Affairs minister, Blackburn will have a full plate. That much is obvious by the 56 resolutions related [...]

The lady sat down in the lounge chair and then said hello. The pool was deserted, except for a few sun worshippers determined to grab a few rays at the hottest point of the day. She stood out amongst the dozens of business travellers at the West African resort. She was carefully groomed from her stylish, blond hair, to her manicured nails, and her voice matched her appearance perfectly—an articulate British lilt to go along with the slender, middle-aged blond. It seemed likely she would indulge in a 10-minute chat about travel, shopping and family; the safe subjects that can [...]

Second World War veteran Phil Bradbury, 85, of Toronto was surprised to learn that in civilian life he’d been missing in action for a couple of decades. Veterans Affairs Canada has been looking for veterans like Bradbury who qualify for, but aren’t receiving benefits under the Veterans Independence Program. The VIP helps aging veterans live independently as long as possible by providing home care support like housecleaning and shovelling walkways, making meals and help with bathing, as well as home adaptation and health support services. Bradbury was on the crew of a bomber that flew 34 missions near the end of [...]

“It’s an insult,” says Gerry Pumphrey of the RCMP Veterans Association in Nova Scotia, who’s worked on the issue for more than five years. “I’m disgusted. It’s always ‘next spring, next fall.’ And the thing is, there are people dying who need this help.” There are approximately 6,000 RCMP members and RCMP veterans receiving disability pensions, but not all of those would want or qualify for VIP, says Murray Brown, chairman of the RCMP serving members’ occupational health and safety committee. Roughly 225 RCMP veterans die each year, and “if only 10 per cent were eligible,” says Pumphrey, “you have about 25 [...]

The Veterans Independence Program (VIP) has changed a lot since its introduction in 1981—and The Royal Canadian Legion has been there every step of the way. The program was implemented to help Veterans Affairs Canada handle a looming crisis in availability of long-term care beds due to aging of war service veterans. At the time, options were limited for seniors unable to live independently, and there was great reliance on long-term care facilities. “There was a concern in the late 1970s that in the absence of an alternative, the Second World War veteran was literally going to swamp the system of [...]

Helping commonwealth veterans has been the heart of the Royal Common­wealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) for almost 90 years; but helping when the need becomes overwhelming can lead to despair in the most resolute of volunteers. Yet the message from delegates at the 30th Triennial Conference of the RCEL in Accra, Ghana, was loud and clear: We carry on regardless, because it is unthinkable not to do so. They will tell you that it is unthinkable not to offer support in Zimbabwe where veterans suffer both political and economic hardships under the brutal regime of President Robert Mugabe. It is un­thinkable not [...]