Fantino in/out of VAC: changes in DM/other staff (merged)

[The Bread Guy]

Minister:  not to worry, vets, all in hand ....

Our government will always stand up for our veterans, and together with all Canadians, we will never forget their service and sacrifice. Since first being elected in 2006, spending has been going up, while at the same time, the veterans population has been declining.

We have taken concrete action to improve the quality of life of veterans and their families. For example, we have delivered improved benefits and additional financial assistance for seriously injured veterans for life, announced new job training support and priority job placement for veterans as they transition into civilian life, opened 14 operational stress injury clinics and significantly enhanced long-term disability benefits for Canadian Forces members. These long-term investments into the welfare of our veterans mean that the programs and services will be operating for as long as our veterans need them.

Since I was humbled to become Canada’s minister of Veteran Affairs, I have met and listened to countless heroic veterans who put their country first. My pledge is simple: provide the very best care and improve benefits and supports.  I have heard from many veterans who urged the government to review the New Veterans Charter. Only months into my ministry, I personally called for a comprehensive review of the charter.

Like so many others, I wanted to know if there were any gaps in the benefits and services available for veterans and their families. When the committee issued their final report, our government moved forward to implement the measures that could be implemented quickly, such as more than doubling the number of counselling sessions for veterans and their families, ensuring that Canadian Armed Forces personnel are not medically released until they are in a stable medical condition, and that more health-care professionals are in place to provide service post-release.

Veterans also told me that additional mental health support is needed. I was proud to take action on that front, to build on our record, by investing significant funding in a comprehensive mental health strategy that will open eight new front-line mental health clinics, open seven family resource centres to medically releasing veterans and their families, along with significant new investments for world class research. Our government’s investment is enhancing services from coast to coast — in the communities of Halifax, Pembroke, Brockville, Chicoutimi, Kelowna, St. John’s, Victoria and Montreal.

We are acting on the advice of veterans by ensuring fewer forms, phone calls and steps are taken to access the benefits they need. We make no apologies for reducing the bureaucratic footprint in our effort to reduce paperwork, to guarantee veterans have their money in their pockets sooner and to ensure investments are moved to the front line.

I am seized with the importance of caring for our veterans and their families — to pay homage to the very people who fought for our freedom and defend our democracy and security. We will leave no stone unturned as we continue to take action to improve the lives of our veterans and their families.

Julian Fantino is the minister of Veterans Affairs

 

[TCM621]

Minister:  not to worry, vets, all in hand ....

Yet we lost another one on Wednesday.

 

[McG]

...and the counter opinion is:

Julian Fantino is too busy boasting of his record to hear calls for his head
Kelly McParland
National Post
11 Dec 2014

Julian Fantino was never going to go easily. He might be under intense attack in the House of Commons, veterans might be complaining about him across the land, he might be pummelled daily in the national media … but listen to his critics? Forget it.

You don’t get to head four major police forces if you have a thin skin. Mr. Fantino’s must be like rawhide. ETF forces could wear it as body armour. Zdeno Chara could throw himself full speed at the Veterans Affairs Minister and bounce off, bruised and bewildered.

Rather than acknowledge that, just maybe, some of the avalanche of accusations about his department might carry a hint of truth, Mr. Fantino wants everyone to know that they’re wrong. In the Halifax Chronicle Herald, he lays out the excellent job he feels he’s been doing since he was “humbled” to become minister 17 months ago. There are too many achievements to list individually, but Mr. Fantino has been busy.

“Our government will always stand up for veterans, and together with all Canadians, we will never forget their service and sacrifice,” he declared, a line he lifted from his parliamentary secretary Parm Gill, who used it in Winnipeg in August. “Since we were first elected in 2006, spending has been going up, while the veterans’ population has been declining.”

“We have taken concrete action to improve the quality of life of veterans and their families. For example, we have delivered improved benefits and additional financial assistance for seriously injured veterans for life, announced new job training support and priority job placement for veterans as they transition into civilian life, opened 14 operational stress injury clinics and significantly enhanced long-term disability benefits for Canadian Forces members.”

Acknowledging complaints about the New Veterans Charter, introduced by the Conservatives in 2006, he boasted: “Only months into my tenure as minister, I personally called for a comprehensive review [of the charter].”

When veterans spoke of inadequate mental health support,  “I was proud to take action on that front … by investing significant funding in a comprehensive mental health strategy.”

He has lots more to brag about, but you get the picture: People who think Minister Fantino hasn’t been doing a great job don’t know what they’re saying. They should clam up already and find something else to occupy their attention.

Behind the bluster, Mr. Fantino’s defence comes down to this: we’ve spent money. For the Stephen Harper Conservatives, that’s a big deal. Spending money is not their favourite occupation. That would be chopping costs to balance the budget. What they evidently haven’t done, and which seems to slide right past the minister’s awareness, is make sure the programs are working.

Throwing money at problems as a self-defence mechanism used to be a favourite Liberal practice. Whether the programs worked effectively or not was an afterthought. Most of the issues veterans have raised in recent months relate to the ineffectiveness of existing programs: excess red tape, inordinate wait times, benefits that exist in theory but are difficult to access.

The Tories may have been increasing budgets, but they’ve also been slashing staff. That’s not bad policy if services can still be delivered efficiently. But that hasn’t been the case: some of the biggest cuts have been in areas that attract the most criticism. Almost 900 jobs were cut in the disabilities division, identified by the Auditor General this month as a department with serious performance issues.

The government defended its failure to spend $1.13 billion in budgeted funds on the difficulty of forecasting needs. But why does it have an army of bureaucrats if not to figure out where the needs lie? At heart it reflects the core criticism in Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s report: the department just isn’t run well. It doesn’t have a solid understanding of its clientele, and it doesn’thandle their needs efficiently.

That should be self-evident. No matter how big the budget, the money is wasted if it’s not used effectively to address the needs of the veterans it is meant to serve. And the ongoing protests of the veterans, combined with the evidence of a department choked in its own red tape, suggest that’s exactly the case in Mr. Fantino’s ministry.

Mr. Fantino seems to be too busy boasting about his record to hear them. Good government isn’t measured by the size of the budget. Maybe when that message gets through to him he can start doing a better job for the men and women who served their country.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

“Since we were first elected in 2006, spending has been going up, while the veterans’ population has been declining.”

Nice choice of words there, Sluggo.

 

[blackberet17]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-replaces-julian-fantino-as-veterans-minister/article22291591/

Julian Fantino appears to be on his way out as veterans affairs minister.

Multiple sources tell The Canadian Press the embattled Fantino is being replaced by Erin O’Toole, a southern Ontario MP and former member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The two of them have arrived at Rideau Hall, along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, for a surprise ceremony. Fantino’s presence means he is likely to get another post within the federal cabinet.

Prior to being promoted to Veterans Affairs, Fantino was the associate minister of defence in charge of procurement.

A tough-talking former street cop who later became Toronto police chief and commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, Fantino entered federal politics by winning a byelection in 2010.

He was re-elected in 2011 and named to the cabinet in January as minister of state for seniors. He became minister of international co-operation in July 2012 and went to Veterans Affairs a year later.

He found himself in political hot water almost from the moment he took the post.

Under Fantino, the department came under heavy fire from veterans groups, the veterans ombudsman, the auditor general and the political opposition.

Fantino’s efforts to defend office closures, job cuts, lapsed budget money and tweaks to pensions and benefits provoked anger from veterans and scorn from the NDP and Liberals.

There were public relations gaffes, including a much-publicized — and televised — confrontation with veterans, and the sight of Fantino walking down a parliamentary hallway, ignoring shouted questions from the wife of a former soldier.

Government lawyers went to court to argue that the government has no special responsibility to care for veterans, although that had been iron-clad policy since the First World War.

There were howls of protest when it was learned the department had allowed more than $1 billion of its budget to lapse and return to the federal treasury since 2006. The anger only grew when the department admitted spending $4 million on ads last year promoting its efforts to help veterans return to civilian life.

Reports detailed the troubles veterans encountered getting help and benefits from the department. Other studies suggested that wounded veterans would face poverty once they hit age 65.

Efforts to calm the situation failed. Tweaks to benefits and more money for mental health brought no respite. Fantino’s chief of staff quit and was replaced by a staffer from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Retired general Walt Natynczyk, the country’s former top military commander, was also appointed as Fantino’s deputy minister and senior civil servant.

 

[blackberet17]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/julian-fantino-out-as-veterans-affairs-minister-1.2889977

The prime minister has replaced embattled Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino with retired air force officer and first-time MP Erin O'Toole.

In a release Monday, the goverment said Fantino will remain in cabinet as associate minister for defence — the same post he held before being named international cooperation minister in 2012.

Fantino faced repeated opposition calls for his resignation or firing in the fall over his handling of the Veterans Affairs portfolio. The department has faced much criticism from some veterans because of the decision to close regional offices and for a lack of support for veterans with mental illness.

In November, the auditor general found the department was not doing enough to provide mental health services to veterans, just days after it was revealed the government had returned nearly $1 billion in lapsed funding to the treasury in recent years. Fantino was out of the country attending commemorative Second World War events as the opposition called for a response to the auditor general's report.

Fantino was roundly criticized for a testy meeting with veterans early last year and for refusing to speak with the wife of a veteran who pursued him down a hallway in Parliament.

O'Toole, who was elected to the House of Commons in Durham, east of Toronto, in a 2012 byelection, is a graduate of Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force until 2000. He also has a law degree from Dalhousie University.

Since 2013, O'Toole has served as parliamentary secretary to International Trade Minister Ed Fast.

 

[devil39]

Fantino moved from Veterans Affairs to be replaced by Erin O'Toole.  Good riddance.  Moving back to Associate Minister National Defence.

 

[Kat Stevens]

He can't do any harm there.... :

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Good Riddance.

At least Mr O'Toole actually served. Let's see what he does to help take the stink off VA.

 

[blackberet17]

Backgrounder on the new Minister:

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/01/05/biographical-notes

Erin O’Toole was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2012.

In January 2015 Mr. O’Toole was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs.  Previously, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade in September 2013.

Mr. O’Toole graduated from the Royal Military College in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) and was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He served at the Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, and as a Tactical Navigator on the Sea King helicopter in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. Following completion of his service in the regular forces, Mr. O’Toole transferred to the reserves and attended law school at Dalhousie University. He graduated in 2003 and returned to Ontario, where he practiced corporate law and litigation with two national law firms and served as in-house counsel to a large consumer goods company.

Mr. O’Toole already has an extensive record supporting our troops, past and present. He was a founder of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which has raised over $11 million for programs supporting members of the military, veterans and their families, as well as a former director of the Vimy Foundation. He also served on the Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Give Mr. Fantino something he's capable of doing.........umm,......err,....yikes,.....

 

[my72jeep]

Give Mr. Fantino something he's capable of doing.........umm,......err,....yikes,.....

Put him in charge of RCMP oversight it's in his ball park, and surly he can't screw them up Any more then they are?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Give Mr. Fantino something he's capable of doing.........umm,......err,....yikes,.....

What could possibly go wrong in his new duties?  >

.... The Honourable Julian Fantino, as Associate Minister of National Defence, will support the Minister of National Defence in the areas of arctic sovereignty, information technology security and foreign intelligence, thus continuing the Government’s efforts to defend our values and interests at home and around the world ....

 

[MarkOttawa]

Sovereignty, software and spookery (or is that CSE software? help)--matters with which the Crusader
http://www.cdfai.org/the3dsblog/?p=630
is au fait.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[jollyjacktar]

While I am pleased Fatino has been given the boot from VA I am less pleased he hangs on like a Hemorrhoid to defence.  I would like to see some Preparation H applied to this clingon.

 

[The Bread Guy]

It would be interesting to see how much of a difference someone like Laurie Hawn could make at VAC.  While still part of the Harper stable, he seems to be able to speak outside of regular messaging lanes to get points across.

 

[OldSolduer]

Good Riddance.

At least Mr O'Toole actually served. Let's see what he does to help take the stink off VA.

I don't think that he can do much in the short term. My belief is that there are too many bureaucrats that will use delaying tactics to stall initiatives. Mind you, with General Walt as the DM (what's his title?) that may be minimized.

 

[ModlrMike]

I don't think that he can do much in the short term. My belief is that there are too many bureaucrats that will use delaying tactics to stall initiatives. Mind you, with General Walt as the DM (what's his title?) that may be minimized.

That's the real problem, Jim. It's easy for us to blame government, when the majority of any department's problems are with the bureaucrats.

 

[TCM621]

That's the real problem, Jim. It's easy for us to blame government, when the majority of any department's problems are with the bureaucrats.

I don't know when it became a rule that you had to pretend there are no problems in your department. It would be easier to give the government a pass if they said, "we have a major problem here and we are working to fix it'.  Instead they feel that they have to defend themselves and pretend they are doing a great job.  Although, at this point they have had plenty of time to implement change. If it is the bureaucracy's fault then they are unable to control their departments which is just as bad. I did not elect the associate deputy minister, just like the CDS isn't elected and the government is held accountable for problems with the CAF .

 

[reccecrewman]

Good Riddance.

At least Mr O'Toole actually served. Let's see what he does to help take the stink off VA.

I wholeheartedly concur with the first point.  Mr. Fantino did nothing but trip over himself during his stint in that position.  He never established a good rapport with Veterans and did a bang up job isolating and insulting many of them. On comment #2, it doesn't matter.  Regardless of the fact the new man in served, expect no great changes.  Why people seem to think that by virtue of the fact an individual served is going to make them a better Minister of Veterans Affairs or MND is beyond me.  If anything, military experience could prove to be more of a hindrance in such a post.  Think about it, imagine you yourself (anybody reading this with military experience) get appointed to Minister of Veterans Affairs or MND.  You know the Military, you lived it.  You would have great insight as to what you'd like to change within your Department to better serve the troops/Veterans.  However, you would go mad trying to see your visions implemented in the form of policy changes due to bureaucratic redtape and budget constraints and probably end up disillusioned pretty quickly.  First off, lets get a fact straight - no Minister of ANY Department actually has any real authority to make policy changes.  That's up to the Government.  A Minister can make all the recommendations in the world and it'll fall on deaf ears because at the end of the day, it's not their call to make. A Minister is a fall guy.  Someone for the Government to be able to clearly identify and point a finger at when things go sour. 

Fantino was a patsy.... set up for failure by the Harper Government as an expendable from Day 1.  The cuts and changes to Veterans Affairs as a Department that started up in 2012 in the form of a SERLO for VAC CSA's Canada wide were decided upon years ago - long before Fantino ever took the helm.  His own ignorance and insensitivity only damned him that much more.  The previous Minister, Steven Blaney was quietly moved over to plum assignment as Minister of Public Safety after Vic Toews retired in 2013.  Why move him from a post he had been in since 2011? Too high a profile politician for the Conservatives to see tossed to the wolves as they knew full well that there was a violent storm brewing over Veterans Affairs with the planned cuts/office closures coming in the near future. Steven Blaney became the President of the Quebec Conservative caucus following his re-election in 2008 and no way was Harper going to see him go down in flames.  Enter the bumbling, blustering Fantino, an ideal fall guy to take the heat for Veterans Affairs failures.  VAC was a tinderbox when he was appointed Minister in July 2013.... Fantino showed up with a zippo and lots of lighter fluid and took it from there.

Bottom line is, these are ex-soldiers, now turned politicians.  They have retired or moved on from their military careers and have embarked on new career paths as politicians.  Their goal(s) will be to move up the political ladder, and will make their moves accordingly.  Don't think for a second it will be different because they served.  They do what their political masters tell them to do. Period. The new man in can come in with great bravado and wonderful intentions, but have the Government come back with "Sorry, no money in the budget for your initiatives."  All I'm saying is - don't hold your breath waiting on the clouds to part and the sun to come shining down on VAC because the new Minister served.