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…
Archive for the ‘Privacy Scandal and Sean Bruyea’ Category
Former Air Force intelligence officer Sean Bruyea’s fight with Veterans Affairs Canada for veterans’ benefits and for his own reputation and privacy affected his health, his personal relationships, and his finances. But he’d do it again. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright Sean Bruyea suffered from fits of ‘suicidal ideation, physical and psychological breakdowns,…
By SEAN BRUYEA-THE HILL TIMES- Published: Monday, 06/16/2014 12:00 am EDT Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his admiration for America. Explosive scandals in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the rapid response provide a powerful teachable moment for the PM and the “hero” of Canada’s own veteran scandals, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino. Although longstanding, wait…
All oversight bodies need to be strengthened with impartial non-bureaucrats to manage them. By SEAN BRUYEA -THE HILL TIMES-Published: Monday, 04/28/2014 OTTAWA—Holding government accountable has been granted a ray of hope. Democracy Watch may proceed with a private prosecution of Nigel Wright for the secretive payment of $90,000 to Senator Mike Duffy. This initiative…
Veterans’ advocate Sean Bruyea called the payments “to senior managers at Veterans Affairs Canada way out of whack with reality.” Photograph by: CHRIS WATTIE, REUTERS By David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen May 25, 2012 6:59 PM OTTAWA — The senior managers at Veterans Affairs Canada received almost $700,000 in bonuses and extra pay last year…
By: Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press Winnipeg Free Press Online Posted: 02/16/2012 4:21 PM OTTAWA – Veterans Affairs Canada and the independent board that reviews claims of ex-soldiers grappled with allegations of leaked personal information long before a privacy scandal blew up in public. A series of leaked documents show the department and the agency…
Just when Ottawa bureaucrats and politicians thought they would have a quiet week following unsuccessful attempts to placate stakeholders in an Ottawa conference room this week (click here for article), all of Hades breaks loose. One conscientious Canadian reader was supportive of my latest piece (click here) . If only Ottawa was as supportive of…
by Murray Brewster- THE CANADIAN PRESS-2012/02/12 OTTAWA – A prominent, long-standing member of the country’s Veterans Review and Appeal Board had his privacy violated twice in an alleged smear campaign meant to discredit him using his private medical information as ammunition, The Canadian Press has learned. The behind-the-scenes fight involving Harold Leduc has been so…
by John Larlee (VRAB CHAIR)-THE HILL TIMES-January 30, 2012. Re: “Just one more reason for a commission of inquiry into veterans’ issues,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 23, p. 10, by Sean Bruyea. In his column, Mr. Bruyea presents his opinions about the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) and the administrative law process. I would…
Our democratic building can withstand removing the bureaucratic and political façade which fails to cultivate trust through collaboration, coordination and cooperation. Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times Power and Parliament: Should we care that we have lost substantial faith and much trust in Ottawa and its institutions, asks government accountability advocate Sean Bruyea. By…
The reality is that the senior mandarins are the ultimate arbiters of power in Ottawa, not the politicians. And the oft-criticized hyper-centralized culture is centered not in the PMO but in Treasury Board and the PCO. By Sean Bruyea The Hill Times: Published September 19, 2011 OTTAWA—We should be forgiven if we believe that ministers,…
By Jessuca Bruno-THE HILL TIMES-Published August 22, 2011 Today’s vets more educated, know their rights, and need more flexible service than in past generations. Veterans Affairs needs to start innovating if it’s going to serve the wave of veterans coming home from Afghanistan with a host of needs unique to their generation, says veterans advocate…
Veterans Affairs is trying to slip under the summer radar a sleight-of-hand approval for regulations on injured soldiers’ benefits. We should not be surprised. By Sean Bruyea The Hill Times: Published July 18, 2011 OTTAWA—Just as the sun will rise and we all will one day die, Veterans Affair Canada can always be counted upon…
By SEAN BRUYEA-THE GLOBE AND MAIL-Last updated Wednesday, Jun. 08, 2011 3:51PM EDT Sean Bruyea (REUTERS) For the first time in decades, a federal election witnessed all parties promising assistance for our serving and retired Canadian Forces personnel. Debate on the issue quickly died, but the problems confronting our veterans remain painfully alive. Those problems…
With a majority Government, CJFE says it’s time for Prime Minister Harper to keep his promises to reform the Access to Information system Canadian Journalists for Free Expression-CNW-May 9, 2011. TORONTO, May 9 /CNW/ – For the second year in a row, the Harper government has received a failing grade from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression…
By Sean Bruyea-THE HILL TIMES-April 11, 2011 OTTAWA—Just prior to the election campaign kick-off, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn showed just how out of sync he and some in the department are with veterans and Canadians, not to mention Canadian law and Treasury Board policies. He recently made a number of public comments in Alexandria,…
By David Hutton-THE HILL TIMES-March 21, 2011. Photograph by Jessica Bruno, The Hill Times In the spotlight: Former public sector integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet, pictured at the House Public Accounts Committee on March 10 on the Hill. Former integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet’s testimony to the House Public Accounts Committee seemed to be all about her:…
By Ian Bron, Allan Cutler-THE HILL TIMES-March 21, 2011. When Christiane Ouimet was appointed as the first integrity commissioner in 2007 there was no reason to think anything but the best: her long service in the bureaucracy seemed free of blemishes, and she had experience in investigations and training in law When Christiane Ouimet was…
By Jessica Bruno-THE HILL TIMES-March 21, 2011. The gag order on former public sector integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet’s $500,000 exit deal with the government is the most concerning part of the arrangement, says prominent lawyer Paul Champ. “If this was a private sector settlement then that would make sense, but we’re dealing with a significant…
By Jessica Bruno-THE HILL TIMES-March 14, 2011. Former disgraced public sector integrity commissioner Christiane Ouimet, who defiantly refuted Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s scathing report last week of her office and her conduct on Parliament Hill, may get the chance to tell her side of the story again when she’s called before the House Public Accounts…
By Jessica Bruno-THE HILL TIMES-January 17, 2011. Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times Tricks of the trade: Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Stoddart, ‘You have to reassure employees on two things: of the integrity of the mandate about having a healthy working environment, and that’s respectful of its employees.’ Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, who was…
By Ken Rubin-THE HILL TIMES-December 6 2010. OTTAWA—Ottawa under the Harper government operates with the principle that only a few insiders need to know what’s really going on. This results in tightly-controlled spin on what is said and makes a mockery of public access. For example, more than 900 Army personnel are to be stationed…
By Perry Gray-THE HILL TIMES-November 15, 2010. Cynthian Münster, The Hill Times Time for a royal commission: Perry Gray is a retired Canadian Forces intelligence officer and a chief editor of veterans.info. OTTAWA—Considering the national outcry against the so-called “New Veterans Charter” and the lump sum these past few months, it is interesting to note…
By David Hutton, Allan Cutler, and Duff Conacher-THE HILL TIMES-November 1, 2010. The following is letter sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, NDP Leader Jack Layton, and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe last week. It is ironic that, even while we were preparing this letter to you, calling for (among other…
By Tim Naumetz-THE HILL TIMES-October 25, 2010 The federal government appears ready to settle a $400,000 lawsuit by veterans advocate Sean Bruyea after Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart’s ruling that the Veterans Affairs Department contravened the Privacy Act by circulating his confidential personal information and medical files. Mr. Bruyea’s lawyer would say only that following a…
By Jessica Bruno-THE HILL TIMES-October 25, 2010 Christiane Ouimet, Canada’s first federal public sector integrity commissioner, who resigned last week as her office is being investigated by Auditor General Sheila Fraser, will be called before the House Government Operations Committee to explain the situation surrounding her departure. “The committee agreed that we should call the…
By Ian Bron-THE HILL TIMES-October 18, 2010 Jake Wright, The Hill Times Whistleblower: Sean Bruyea, pictured on the Hill. OTTAWA—For the past few months the media have been making revelation after revelation about the management of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The first issue to hit the headlines dealt with the misrepresentation of the New…
By Jack Granatstein-THE HILL TIMES-October 18, 2010 The Department of Veterans Affairs has a proud record. Founded in 1944 to care for and reintegrate into civil society the more than one million men and women who served in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Second World War, DVA was an ornament of government. The Veterans…
By Tim Naumetz-THE HILL TIMES-October 18, 2010 Quebec Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire says injured Canadian war veterans distrust the Veterans Affairs Department to the point some would rather continue on in the Army as disabled personnel rather than risk an uncertain future dealing with the department’s now-famous bureaucracy. Sen. Dallaire, perhaps Canada’s best-known injured veteran,…
Only a non-partisan public inquiry will fix this profoundly flawed department. A judicial royal commission would guide Canada to re-establish its commitment to injured military, veterans, and their families. By SEAN BRUYEA | Published: Monday, 10/18/2010 12:00 am EDT Veterans and all Canadians are grappling with revelations that federal bureaucrats have repeatedly and flagrantly violated…
By Jeff Rose-Martland-THE HILL TIMES-October 18 2010 Amidst revelations of privacy breaches in Veterans Affairs, there is one question no one in government is asking: why? We know that several veterans had their medical details spread around VA to people without legitimate need to know. We know that the targets of these breeches—Sean Bruyea, Pat…
By Michael L. Blais-THE HILL TIMES-October 11, 2010 NIAGARA FALLS, ONT.—The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity on the veterans’ front. Nationally, veterans continue to rally in defence of Veterans Ombudsman Pat Stogran, and the serious concerns he has identified. Revelations pertaining to repeated VAC violations of retired captain Sean Bruyea’s privacy…
By TIM NAUMETZ-THE HILL TIMES-October 11, 2010 Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart says she is concerned other federal departments may be gathering and circulating personal information about critics of the government in the same way the Veterans Affairs Department improperly gave a Cabinet minister medical files about Gulf War veteran Sean Bruyea when he tried to…
Editorial-THE HILL TIMES-October 11, 2010 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart announced last week that she’s launching a wide-ranging audit of Veterans Affairs Canada after her office found the privacy rights of former Gulf War veteran Sean Bruyea had been seriously breached. “What we found in this case was alarming,” Ms. Stoddart said in a statement….
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