Royal Canadian Legion
Branch 94
205 Empire, Greenfield Park,
Québec, Canada
J4V 1T9
450-466-0308
www.legion94.ca
Coverall October 2010
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These editions of the Coverall are copied from the printed versions, which were initially posted at the branch and published by Bruce Robertson. Minor changes have been made in layout and format to allow for web publication. To view any of our Coverall editions, simply click on a link below: 2011 2010
As we move towards Veterans Week and Remembrance Day we are seeing a lot of activity in veterans related items. Foremost is the situation that has developed with regards the Veterans ombudsman. Pages 10 to 13 provide background material and an idea of actions under way. Another area of concern is the Federal government’s desire to transfer Ste. Anne’s Veterans Hospital to provincial jurisdiction. There are some strong feelings that this is a detrimental move which will in the long run prove harmful to the welfare of our veterans. A number of our members have become involved in an external committee organized to convince the authorities that this is not a sound move. It is hoped that Ray Langstaff who is actively involved will from time to time provide updates to the Coverall. Our president Comrade Bernie Constantini has been taking every opportunity to promote the causes of our veterans. He has actively raised these issues at the district level and as you will note from the photos on the page 8 he availed himself of the opportunity to express these concerns to the leader of the opposition in the House of Commons when he visited the South Shore. In a recent open forum meeting in Montreal Mr. Ignatieff outlined his concerns in this regard. Maybe voices such as ours are beginning to be heard. Members who have been attending our General Meetings have been kept up to date on developments as they occur. Bowing to sustained pressure from veterans and veterans associations the Conservative government recently announced plans to inject two billion dollars into helping the country’s most severely injured veterans. They also announced more improvements to come. The September 24th Gazette had an article which advised that the Federal government decision to turn Ste. Annes over to Quebec was final and not subject to negotiation. However the government has bowed to pressure once and an election is in the offing. It is vital that we continue the crusade in support of old and new veterans. Your support is crucial. You can help. See pages 4 and 5. Although the E-mail message presented on page 17 was received back in July it seemed appropriate that it be included in an issue which features Remembrance. This certainly is not the first time we have seen a generation or a particular segment of society get carried away with so called “Political Correctness”. Where or when this message originated is not indicated. Nor does it indicate exactly who in the U.K. is debating the curriculum changes. This message is included because it highlights the importance of keeping Remembrance alive and the role we in the Legion have to play. The summer months were not overly active but there were some things happening around the branch. There were a number of “Cook Your Own Steak” BBQ’s, but even these were not as well attended as in years past. There was music in the lounge most Friday nights and some members came in to enjoy the music and dance a little. There were some good times, as seen in some of the photos in this issue and some sad times. We lost a few members and some non-members who were regulars at our Senior Lunches and other activities. We are hoping to post this issue on our web site. There will be a slight delay while we review the material and convert the colour photos back to colour. Hopefully we will succeed in our effort to add the Coverall to our site. This move is not intended to replace the on-line Coverall which was cancelled because other pressures simply did not allow the editor to continue. This is a quarterly and there is no intent to make changes. It will remain as is until the next quarterly issue becomes available to replace it. Our reason for putting it on line is to reach out to members who cannot get to the branch and to give members with access to a computer the opportunity to see the photographs in full colour.
USS J.F.K. Docking in Malta
In a crowded city at a busy bus stop a beautiful young woman wearing a very tight mini-skirt waited for the bus to arrive. When it came and it was her turn to board she realized that her skirt was too tight to allow her leg to reach the first step of the bus. Slightly embarrassed she smiled at the bus driver and reached behind her waist to unzip her skirt a little, thinking that this would give her enough freedom to raise her leg. She tried to step up but discovered that her skirt was still too tight. Getting a little redder in the face she once again reached behind her to unzip her skirt a little more and for the second time tried to step up. Once again, much to her chagrin, she was unable to raise her leg. Smiling weakly at the bus driver she again reached behind too unzip further but still could not make the step. At this point a large Texan who had been standing behind her gently picked her up and placed her on the step. She went ballistic, turned to the would be good Samaritan and screamed, “How dare you touch my body, I don’t even know who you are!” The Texan just smiled and drawled, “Well ma’am normally would agree with you, but after you unzipped my fly three times I kinda figured we was friends.”
Comité pour Sauvegarder l’Hôpital Ste Anne pour les Anciens combattants Committee for Saving Ste. Anne’s Hospital for Veterans
INVITES ALL TO A SPECIAL MEETING
ON Our mission is to secure for all veterans equal admission rights to Ste. Anne's Military Hospital by convincing the Federal Government to change existing admission criteria. We seek the support of all who believe that every veteran who has served this country, be it in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or peace keeping missions around the globe deserves to be cared for by staff dedicated to tending the special medical needs related to military service. We further believe that the country to which these men and women dedicated a part of their lives has the responsibility and the duty to provide this care. The second part of our mission is therefore to convince the Federal government to keep control of Ste. Anne’s Military Hospital. WE NEED EVERYONE’S SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THIS MEETING. BRING A FRIEND COMRADE RAYMOND LANGSTAFF
Ladies Auxiliary VETERAN’S PICNIC AT STE-ANNE’S AUGUST 7, 2010 The tradition continued again this summer as 17 volunteers from Branch 94 went to Ste. Anne’s for our annual picnic. Approximately 40 veterans were in the hall to enjoy the food, music and gift bags. Wayne Speirs provided wonderful entertainment much to the delight of the Veterans. As usual it did not take much coaxing to get them on the floor for a dance, even in wheel chairs. First Vice-President Cde. Lew Brown, Secretary Cde. Andrea Main and Cde. Shirley Miller visited our veterans, Gerry Mackimmie, Dave Baller and Don Duncan in their rooms They presented them with special gift bags. Unfortunately we could not visit Gerry Dupuis. Syd Davies was at the party and thoroughly enjoyed it especially because his wife Chris was there at his side. Thank you to all the volunteers who help us make this annual event such a success year after year. A very special thanks to Jean Harrison who again this year was the co-ordinator of the event. BINGO SEPTEMBER 1 The first Bingo of the season was held on Wednesday September 1st. Although there were only 48 people in attendance a good time was had by all. At this time I would like to thank the team of volunteers who enable us to hold a monthly Bingo. Gerry Cantwell setting up the hall and stand in caller, Margaret Filion at the door, Bernie Constantini calling, Francine Cantwell selling extra cards and helping Margaret at the door, Ted Hemming, Bob Demick and Glen Cantwell as runners, Shirley Chaif preparing the sandwiches, Linda Smith for baking and looking after the kitchen then when the night is over everyone pitching in to take down the tables and chairs. A lot of work is involved to hold a Bingo. Hopefully attendance will improve as the fall and winter set it. We can all help to increase the numbers either by attending or mentioning to friends and neighbors that a Bingo is held at the Legion the first Wednesday of every month. FLEA MARKET – DECEMBER 5, 2010 Our next Flea Market will be held on Sunday December 5th. There are still some tables available. If you are interested please contact Linda Bremner at 450-466-3469. If anyone has articles to donate to the Flea Market please make sure to bring them to the Branch at least one week ahead of time so we have the opportunity to sort and price them. LENDING LIBRARY Our lending library in the Games Room continues to be a great success. Thanks to all of you for your donations of books. A very special thank you to Pauline Voisine who spends a few hours each and every week trying to keep everything in order.
President Bernie Constantini discussing veterans rights with the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the leader of the opposition Michael Ignatieff on Thursday August 26th
REMEMBRANCE PARADE
August 30, 2010
Pat Stogran in action in Afghanistan
. It is time for government action. Veterans are woven into the fabric of Canadian society. It is
important how they are treated, not only because of our obligation to them, but also because of the associated If military members are not effectively re-integrated into society after their service, it can have significant impact on our social, health and justice systems. In addition if Canadians see that veterans aren’t being treated fairly, they might hesitate to join the military. An effective military needs the countries best and brightest. Many veterans are struggling to get the services they need. It is widely recognized that the system is broken. We send our military and police into harm’s way and when they come back sick, injured and wounded, the system makes them jump through hoops to get benefits and often treats them as if they are trying to get something that they do not deserve. This has to stop. The system controls access to all information, adjudicates in secret, communicates infrequently and in a language only a government lawyer can understand and then sets up an equally convoluted and secretive appeal process to address unfair departmental practices. There is no impetus to change the system from within. The original design of the ombudsman’s office was set up to address complaints, not to address systematic issues. No wonder the Office of the veteran’s Ombudsman has had so little success in trying to make substantive changes and veterans are speaking out. Now is the time for change. Veterans need your support. Although much of what needs to be done is rooted in the legislative process, it is the culture of the system that develops and implements legislation and regulations that really needs to be changed. The only way this is going to happen is if Canada’s parliamentarians realize that the issue is significant and urgent and Canadians want it addressed now.
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Our mothers and fathers and sons and daughters have sacrificed themselves and their families in the service of their country so that you can have the freedom to choose the government and issues that need to be addressed./ Our sailors, air personnel and police have stood up for us; it is now time for us to stand up for them.
The ombudsman will have his hands full this next three months when he promises to show Canadians how "badly" veterans and their families are being cared for by government. As David O'Brien pointed out in his column Colonel should reload -- with facts (Aug. 21), the Ombudsman will have to reload with some facts if he has any hope of both educating Canadians and making headway against an insensitive and "deceptive" bureaucracy, as Stogran it. The first fact? What is a "veteran"? In Canada, a veteran is anyone who served in uniform in Canada's military. Of the remaining 170,000 Second World War veterans, about 1,700 are passing away each month. This is the fact the minister and the bureaucracy want Canadians to hear -- it justifies their planned cuts to Veterans Affairs Canada, mandated to care for veterans and their families. There also are more than 680,000 veteran and current members of the Canadian Forces who never served in the Second World War, almost 10 per cent of whom are disabled. Veterans Affairs is also mandated to care for families. With more than 7,500 new CF members last year and almost 5,300 others becoming veterans, when their families are taken into account, these numbers balance out the loss of our Second World War veterans. At current rates, in approximately six years time, the number of veterans and families will be growing at least 15,000 but maybe as high 20,000 annually. In the light of this fact, Veterans Affairs should be hiring instead of firing employees. What about programs for these modern veterans? After April 2006, veterans have been compensated for their military injuries with a one-time lump sum of up to $276,089. It sounds impressive until the facts rudely intrude. Only 31 out of 19,500 injured soldiers have received the full amount and the average paid out since 2006 has been just over $38,000, not enough to buy a minivan adapted for wheelchair accessibility. Prior to 2006, military injuries were compensated with a life-long monthly payment of up to $2,400 plus amounts for spouses and children. The lump sum does not include amounts for families. Furthermore, the monthly pension is increased annually to keep pace with public service salaries. Yes, it is true that the lump sum is accompanied by other programs which the government claims are "guided by modern principles of disability management." That the government over the past four years has received and ignored every one of more than 300 recommendations from two of their own advisory groups, one chaired by a professor in rehabilitation, speaks clearly to the government saying one thing about its programs and the reality of how the medical, veteran and family world sees the same programs. In the new programs, there is a special allowance for "severely disabled" veterans. There are 623 who meet this bureaucratic definition. Yet the program is so inaccessible that only one member receives the allowance.
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And who is administering all these duplicate programs? Frontline Veterans Affairs employees are inundated, keeping track of so much unnecessary paperwork. Every "case manager" and "client service agent" has about 1,000 clients each for whom they must provide care. Why the smokescreen by bureaucrats? As every good crime show has said, "follow the money." Canada has twice as many veterans as Australia and yet we provide services for only one half as many clients as Australia's Department of Veterans Affairs, whose $12 billion budget is four times as great as Canada's. For the bureaucracy, there is a lot at stake in denying benefits to our veterans. The fact to be learned from all of this is that what bureaucrats say may not always be true. In the Canadian world of caring for our injured soldiers, veterans and their families, availability of programs rarely translates into dignified accessibility. Although last week was an emotional week for veterans, the truth is that
each day is an emotional day for disabled veterans. In war or peacetime, missing limbs, crushed vertebrae, As a country which holds the democratic value of equality so dear, let us stop trying to find reasons to avoid treating all of our disabled veterans and their families with the same dignity. And let our veterans define dignity, not the bureaucracy. Sean Bruyea is a retired Canadian Forces intelligence officer, freelance journalist and longtime advocate for the rights of disabled veterans and their families. Bruyea is not a recipient of the new veterans' programs. Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 24, 2010 A10
Our thanks to the following for their help and donations Oriette Constantineau
Definition of a veteran - Whether active duty, retired, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his/her life, signed a blank check made payable to "The People of Canada", for an amount "up to and including my life."
Royal Canadian Legion Br N0. 94
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WE WILL REMEMBER THEM LEILA JOYCE WHITEHEAD
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
When we become Legion members we all pledge to support the Poppy Campaign – all we ask is four hours of your time during the campaign. However if you can do more our chances of reaching our goal become that much better. Another way to participate in the campaign is by being a Volunteer Driver. We do have a number of volunteers who do not drive and therefore require transportation from the Branch to their store or from their store back to the Branch. Shift changes occur at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
On Saturday morning, Aug 28th, Andrea Main and Shirley Miller went to cheer on Ed Toy & Liz Bradshaw's “Ruth's Army” team in the two day Walk to End Cancer. Both Liz & Ed are members of our branch. Liz plays darts on Friday nights and is the chief organizer of the St. Mary's Tea. Ed, a new member of our branch is a Thursday night Trivia player. Ed told us that they received white ribbons before the walk to symbolize that their team raised more than $10,000. We understand that the actual amount was closer to $13,000.00. The Thursday night trivia players supported the cause by making donations or purchasing cookies baked in the shape of a pink ribbon on which was engraved “Ruth's Army”. The cookies were made by Celina Windsor, baker extraordinaire and coordinator of our trivia night.
HONORS AND AWARDS Our annual honours and awards night will be held in January. Just a reminder that the members of our H & A. committee cannot be expected to be aware of everything happening in the branch. They rely on our members to alert them when a member merits special recognition. If you know of anyone who provided exceptional service during the year or whose contributions to the branch over a long period has not been acknowledged in a suitable manner then please advise one of the committee members. This is the only way to ensure deserving members, and in some cases non-members, receive credit for the role the play in keeping our branch an active force in our community.
Our Friday Dart league lost a long time member when Jean Carson passed away in August. Cde. Michael Douris who is currently in the Armed Forces donated a painting to the branch. It was done in Afghanistan. The Executive decided that the portrait and the words on its back should be put into separate frames. Once suitable frames have been located the painting will be displayed. A Member Appreciation BBQ was held On September 12th to welcome everyone back to the branch after the
long hot summer. Attendance was good and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. On September 18th the Vets held their reunion. Technical difficulties have delayed receipt of photos of the event. Hopefully we will receive these and details for our next issue. This is the first issue of The Coverall Since January 2002 not to include an item from the St. Lambert Branch’s Home Town News. The first article appeared in the April 1, 2002 issue. Since Pauline Voisine gave us copies of 23 issues of The Home Town News (It was published from April 1944 to March 1946), 34 straight issues of the COVERALL have included at least one item from the “News”.
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