20 June 2016

Hon Kent Hehr, PC, MP.

Minister of Veterans Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario

Dear Minister:
I have taken the opportunity to read and reflect upon your recent press
release concerning the progress and accomplishments of your government
with respect to veterans benefits over the past year. We in the NATO
Veterans Organization of Canada applaud the achievements such as the
increase in the Disability Award, the expanded access to the Permanent
Impairment Allowance, providing injured Veterans with 90 percent of their
pre-release salary and, as you say, the list goes on.
You went on to say that, We have a mandate to serve Canadian Armed
Forces members, Veterans and their families, and I can tell you in no
uncertain terms that I believe it is my responsibility as Canadas Minister of
Veterans Affairs, on behalf of all Canadians, to make sure their service to
Canada is recognized and honoured.
You further stated that, It means that we treat each and every Veteran with
care, compassion and respect. It means that we help every Veteran and his
or her family make the sometimes difficult transition from military to civilian
life. It means that we honour every Veterans service in a meaningful way.
That is my job. And, make no mistake, I consider the work we do to be part
of a sacred obligation to Canadas Veterans and their families. We
clearly recognize that obligation to Veterans and the Prime Minister
said exactly that in his mandate letter.
We would offer three recent examples where, in our opinion, your
department has fallen woefully short of your stated objectives.
The first involves the case of 94 year old Mr. Petter Blindheim in Nova Scotia,
who is being denied admission to the Camp Hill Military hospital because a
nameless and faceless bureaucrat in your department has decided that Mr
Blindheim does not meet the criteria for admission to that institution; a
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military hospital where there are vacant and available beds. Instead he is
being told to apply for a Community Bed under provincial authority
where the waiting list is something in the order of 285 days. He could well be
dead by that time.
The second example, recently making the media, is the case of Donald
Osborne, a 95 year old WWII Veteran, who fought in Italy and France. He
suffered wounds and narrowly escaped death from an enemy machine gun
bullet that struck his helmet. He toughed it out in what was then described
as Canadas Forgotten Army and now is facing an equally daunting future.
Apparently a nurse with Veterans Affairs has deemed him to not be
admissible to Camp Hill as he was fit to live on his own. This in spite of
the fact that his wife has been in a nursing home for the past three years; he
suffers from failing cognitive abilities and even more problematic, he recently
fell and spent two hours on the floor before being discovered. He is a
Veteran, he wants to join his fellow Veterans, but department officials have
deemed otherwise. This is shameful.
The third case involves Lieutenant- General C.H. (Charlie) Belzile, one of the
most revered and competent General Officers since the end of WW II, who is
now a victim of Alzheimers Disease. General Belzile, as a young Lieutenant
in the Queens Own Rifles of Canada, was posted to Korea mere days after
the signing of the Armistice in 1953. Despite the Armistice, Korea continued
to be a dangerous theatre with many violations of the truce. In accordance
with current Regulations, he does not qualify for admission to the
Perley Rideau Veterans wing in Ottawa because of the selection and
imposition of an arbitrary date in the Pension Act.
As you are well aware, the current regulations preclude Post Korea Armistice
Veterans, 1953 to the present, from access to existing Veterans
Hospitals. This arbitrary date was selected based on policies that existed
over 55 years ago. What is the basis for this regulation to continue to exist
and create undue hardship? Veterans of all ages are suffering. Dignity is
not being respected, families are facing hardships and time is of the essence.
I refer to your comments above in which you state that It means that we
treat each and every Veteran with care, compassion and respect. It
means that we help every Veteran and his or her family make the
sometimes difficult transition from military to civilian life. It means that we
honour every Veterans service in a meaningful way. That is my job.
Where is the compassion and respect in these cases? And where is the
sacred trust.
Their health care should be your priority and the priority of the Government.
The rules and regulations must be changed. All Canadians have the

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strong belief that the arbitrary regulations precluding qualified and in-need
Modern Day Veterans accessing existing Veterans Hospitals be rescinded.
This is your duty of care and in making these much needed changes
immediately, it would signal your commitment to Treat each and every
Veteran with Care, Compassion and Respect.
It boils down to the government acknowledging that A Veteran is a
Veteran. Plain and simple. This situation of institutional
discrimination of Veterans by virtue of the era of service must end. It is
unconscionable and the government is complicit in perpetuating a system
that does not treat all Veterans equally and equitably.
Fairness is all we ask. We know that you understand this sentiment and we
urge you to make the necessary changes so that Veterans do not have to
face yet another struggle to access the services to which they have given so
much.
It was through our blood, sweat, toil and sacrifices that we enjoy today the
freedoms that are held so near and dear. Your government promised us Real
Changenow is the time to make those changes.
Please do not fail us.

Gordon Jenkins
President,
NATO Veterans Organization of Canada

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