Archive for the ‘Improving Government’ Category

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023

In May 2021, I appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. I spoke, among other things, about the broken system at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), a system that has been plagued by problems. The consequence of these problems is that Canada has repeatedly failed its duty and commitment to care for Veterans and…

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Wednesday, June 19th, 2019

By PERRY GRAY      JUN. 19, 2019  THE HILL TIMES The prime minister’s, and his government’s, responses to veterans will echo well after the upcoming election campaign. In December 2017, then-veterans affairs minister Seamus O’Regan announced the government’s plans for a lifelong pension for Armed Forces veterans. But those moves ring hollow when Ottawa has racked up a…

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Monday, April 1st, 2019

By SEAN BRUYEA      APR. 1, 2019 The only magic the Liberals will see is how they allowed bureaucrats to pass the wand over an election promise that made not just veterans’ benefits disappear but veterans’ votes for Liberals in the next election. Canada’s new Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, pictured on March 1, 2019, at Rideau Hall…

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Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

The revolving door at Veterans Affairs is making Canada’s relationship with veterans even worse Sean Bruyea · for CBC News · Posted: Mar 13, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: March 13 Veterans and their families need to tell the story of how they have been repeatedly stigmatized, marginalized, betrayed, and abandoned by the government system they were…

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Tuesday, December 18th, 2018

Canadian Forces veteran speaks out against the ‘pernicious disease’ of military secrecy Sean Bruyea · for CBC News · Posted: Dec 18, 2018 4:35 PM CT | Last Updated: December 18, 2018 Veteran’s advocate Sean Bruyea says Cpl. Nolan Caribou’s death by suicide should have been preventable. (Ashley Burke/CBC News) The Canadian military should have prevented Cpl. Nolan Caribou’s suicide….

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Friday, November 2nd, 2018

Opinion: The federal government is failing to truly deliver on its promises to veterans, and it’s doing so with less and less transparency by Sean Bruyea Nov 8, 2018 Veterans watch the Remembrance Day ceremony at Ottawa’s National War Memorial on Nov. 11, 2014. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) Sean Bruyea is a frequent commentator and author…

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Monday, October 22nd, 2018

by Sean Bruyea OCT. 22, 2018 THE HILL TIMES The upcoming Veterans Stakeholder Summit on Oct. 29 is the summit of bureaucratic insensitivity when it comes to accessibility. Our disabled veterans and their families deserve more. More voice, more consequential input, and more dignified treatment. Mounties, pictured April 9, 2017, at the Canadian National Vimy…

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Monday, September 17th, 2018

By SEAN BRUYEA      SEP. 17, 2018 The Hill Times   New veterans’ photo ID cards are not official government identification and they should be. Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan, pictured in this file photo in Ottawa. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade OTTAWA—Process is as important as product. When the product is destined for a group of…

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Thursday, September 6th, 2018

Hi All. After taking a short break and a brutal summer cold from our wonderful six-year old son, here is some more media coverage of the lawsuit. Hill Times reporter, Emily Haws, sat through the entire five hours of hearings. I believe her article is balanced and articulates the issues well. You can find the…

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Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

By EMILY HAWS      AUG. 29, 2018   The Hill Times Both Sean Bruyea and federal lawyers defending Minister Seamus O’Regan say if they don’t get their way, freedom of expression could be at risk. Outspoken veterans advocate Sean Bruyea argued with federal lawyers for five hours Friday over a motion to dismiss his defamation case. The Hill Times photograph…

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Monday, March 19th, 2018

By SEAN BRUYEA-THE HILL TIMES- MAR. 19, 2018 Behind the scenes, the Trudeau Liberal government continues a longstanding war on veterans in minimizing or denying access to democracy and due process, writes Sean Bruyea. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured recently on Parliament Hill. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade OTTAWA—”Why are we still fighting certain veterans groups…

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Monday, February 12th, 2018

The Hill Times-February 12, 2018 By SEAN BRUYEA The more Canadians and veterans learn of the 2019 Liberal programs, the more the confusion and anger grow. How do we survive the dizzying daze induced by trying to understand veterans’ benefits? Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan, pictured recently in Ottawa. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade…

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Monday, December 11th, 2017

The Hill Times-  DEC. 11, 2017 By SEAN BRUYEA The ruling means bureaucrats can continue to write laws which Parliament is manipulated into passing that create an increasingly complex class and caste system of veterans forced to negotiate a labyrinth of bureaucratic injustices. Yes, it’s that bleak.                    …

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Monday, September 18th, 2017

Patronizing veterans is the salient problem, not the solution. Sadly, new Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan appears ready to reinforce, not resolve, the VAC cultural mess. Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan, pictured Aug. 28, 2017, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa shortly before he was sworn into cabinet. If the first public comments of newly appointed Veterans…

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Tuesday, September 5th, 2017

‘He was a gifted broadcaster and is therefore a gifted communicator, and that’s an asset for this government,’ says former PMO staffer Scott Reid. Liberal MP Seamus O’Regan at the ceremony on Aug. 28 in which he was sworn in as Veterans Affairs Minister. Veterans advocates hopes he does more for former military personnel than…

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Monday, September 4th, 2017

If O’Reagan and the Trudeau government truly wish ‘real change’ as they promised, then cultural change at Veterans Affairs must be their focus. Seamus O’Regan outside Rideau Hall on Aug. 28 just before getting sworn in as Veterans Affairs minister. Sean Bruyea says if O’Regan wants to have a positive impact, he must change the…

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Monday, July 17th, 2017

Omar Khadr’s settlement at the very least provokes conversation so that veterans do not have to suffer in silence. Maybe, politicians and bureaucrats will likewise comprehensively settle with veterans and their families. Omar Khadr, pictured when he was 14 years old. Mr. Khadr’s settlement at the very least provokes conversation so that veterans do not…

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Saturday, July 15th, 2017

For veterans fighting for their compensation, it’s hard to watch the government hand over millions By Sean Bruyea, for CBC News Posted: Jul 15, 2017 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Jul 15, 2017 5:00 AM ET Veterans’ reactions are being unfairly dismissed as little more than conservative barking. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) About The Author Sean Bruyea Sean Bruyea,…

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Monday, May 29th, 2017

MFRCs, at $28-million annually, account for less than 10 per cent of the CAF Morale and Welfare Services budget. Families are valued far less than one maritime helicopter that cost well over $100-million in 2003. Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance, pictured in Ottawa. Sean Bruyea, vice-president of Canadians for Accountability, says the federal…

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Monday, May 1st, 2017

by SeanBruyea  Newspaper columnist, veterans and government accountability advocate, humanitarian, ethicist, former intelligence officer, husband, & father Posted: 05/01/2017 3:46 pm EDT Updated: 05/01/2017 3:47 pm EDT Canada’s military veterans are suffering another condition of late: envy. They watch National Defence Ombudsman Gary Walbourne, relentlessly petition government to improve the lives of soldiers. Veterans long for their Ombudsman, Guy Parent, to have the…

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Monday, November 7th, 2016

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals promised a return to lifelong pensions as their priority commitment to veterans. This should happen. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, pictured Nov. 11, 2015, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright By SEAN BRUYEA PUBLISHED : THE HILL TIMES…

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Monday, October 31st, 2016

If there is a debt owed our veterans, and government fails to plan ahead, then government must incur fiscal debt to honour the moral debt to our veterans and their families. Justing Trudeau and the Liberals may well pay the price for Kent Hehr’s lackadaisical approach to leadership in Veterans Affairs, write Sean Bruyea. The Hill…

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Monday, October 3rd, 2016

Veterans Affairs Canada bombards media to sell inadequate programs with paltry incremental changes. Meanwhile, veterans and their families continue to suffer. Veterans will be unlikely to question Walt Natynczyk’s inaction and excuses for not moving on policy issues universally agreed-upon more than a decade before, writes Sean Bruyea. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright By SEAN…

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Monday, September 26th, 2016

Ultimately, politicians and the public must force change. The removal of incompetent and inept leaders perpetuating a culture of persecution, impunity and intransigence is a start. Then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promised openness and transparency can begin. Without transparency and openness, the military and Canada will fail to keep faith with those who have got…

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Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

  National leaders have refused a provincial request to disclose salaries and travel expenses. Sean Bruyea argues that rather than an organization for veterans, the legion exists more like a social club using veterans as props. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright By SEAN BRUYEA PUBLISHED : Wednesday, June 8, 2016 12:00 AM The national…

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Monday, May 9th, 2016

The Trudeau government is hosting a ‘stakeholder summit’ May 9 and 10. But having a former general and federal government representative chair a group of often marginalized individuals who are highly indoctrinated to be subservient to authority is truly a farce of a most un-Canadian kind. By SEAN BRUYEA PUBLISHED : Monday, May 9, 2016…

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Monday, April 11th, 2016

Secrecy reflexively defended with misinformation is the Veterans Affairs way of doing things over the past decade. Nothing has apparently changed under the new Liberal government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate letter emphasizes ‘inclusion, honesty, and generosity of spirit,’ but so far Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr’s, pictured right with Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett,…

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Monday, October 19th, 2015

Disenchanted and disabled veterans with their families have been enduring a decade of endless platitudes and rhetoric waiting for programs for which less than two per cent of them will qualify. DND photograph Veterans’ advocate Sean Bruyea writes, ‘Let’s stop lying to our veterans and their families. They deserve substantive and immediate action, not scripted…

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Sunday, October 18th, 2015

by SEAN BRUYEA-DEFENCE WATCH October 18, 2015 Not since the 1920’s has a governing party so mismanaged the care of Canada’s veterans that all political parties would include veterans’ promises in their platforms. Prime Minister Harper appointed Erin O’Toole this past January to clean up the mess at Veterans Affairs (VAC) after the public relations…

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Saturday, October 10th, 2015

In the first six months of 2015, which corresponded to O’Toole’s inaugural tenure, the Public Service Commission reports that he oversaw the priority hiring of zero medically released veterans. Since 2010, Veterans Affairs Canada has priority hired only six veterans, two of whom were hired by the Veterans’ Ombudsman. By SEAN BRUYEA  The Hill Times Published:…

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Monday, June 1st, 2015

Almost 120,000 Canadians have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more have lived and continue to live with lifelong disabilities. Parliament can do better for its veterans. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole, pictured recently on the Hill. Sean Bruyea writes ‘in a bizarre and never-ending déjà vu,…

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Monday, March 9th, 2015

Despite what Prime Minister Stephen Harper says, Canada does not have the best veterans’ programs and services in the world. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole, left, pictured with NDP MP Nathan Cullen. By SEAN BRUYEA The Hill Times Published: Monday, 03/09/2015 12:00 am EDT Last Updated: Monday, 03/09/2015 2:56 pm…

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Thursday, January 1st, 2015

by Sean Bruyea ESPRIT DE CORPS-January 2015 MINISTER JULIAN FANTINO is the flypaper to which incompetent management and controversy persistently buzz around and stick. It is not clear why Harper keeps appointing this individual to various cabinet positions. What is abundantly clear: Julian Fantino is not capable of effectively managing the quagmire at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)….

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Monday, December 1st, 2014

By SEAN BRUYEA  THE HILL TIMES Published: Monday, 12/01/2014 12:00 am EST We can be forgiven if we mistakenly believe that Christmas has finally arrived for Canadian veterans suffering psychological injuries. However, veterans will have to hold on to their Santa wish list for another 50 years. Ottawa’s mental health strategy looks more like a sleigh…

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Monday, September 22nd, 2014

We need to hear much less about those veterans who don’t need our help and focus upon fixing the system comprehensively for those disabled veterans and their families who desperately need our help. A barrage of propaganda will fail to make the disabled veterans’ lives better. By SEAN BRUYEA THE HILL TIMES,  Published: Monday, 09/22/2014 12:00…

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