Veterans’ protest highlights ‘abhorrent’ treatment

Edmonton part of national rally

Former master corporal Chance Burles stood outside the Alberta legislature building Thursday, talking with buddies as they warmed their hands against the -20 C chill with cups of coffee.

Leaning on a cane, a Canadian flag propped in his backpack, the Afghanistan veteran shrugged as he listed his physical ailments from years in the Armed Forces — a herniated disc in his back courtesy of his vehicle being blown up by an IED in 2008, knee and shoulder problems, hearing damage, tinnitus, post-traumatic stress.

“Lots of things,” he said with a chuckle.

Burles was among about 30 veterans who braved the February cold to take part in a local chapter of the national Left in the Cold rally, joining veterans from Victoria to Newfoundland at cenotaphs, city halls and legislatures across the country.

Burles said the gatherings were to highlight what he calls the raw deal veterans get when they return to Canada — the court cases, the piles of paperwork from dealing with Veterans Affairs Canada, the lacklustre budget for supports.

“The thing we’re trying to get

We may be beat up, we may be walking around with canes, we’ve got people here in wheelchairs, but we are one voice.

across today is that we’re still here,” Burles said. “We’re still a voice. We may be beat up, we may be walking around with canes, we’ve got people here in wheelchairs, but we are one voice. We’re fighters, and we’re not going to let this go.”

Burles organized the Edmonton rally, and said he feels let down by a successive series of federal governments, from the Conservatives to the current Liberals.

Veterans Affairs has been plagued with issues since its charter was overhauled in 2006, he said, leading to the sometimes “abhorrent” treatment of Canadian veterans.

Burles admits not every interaction with Veterans Affairs is horrible. His own was “pretty positive,” with helpful programs and the ability to get the medications he needs (although he does face challenges getting them in a timely manner).

Another concern — shared by veterans demonstrating Thursday across Canada — is the twotier compensation of those who served prior to Afghanistan and those who served in Afghanistan.

“My two sons, if they grow up and join the military, I want them to be covered for any hardships they have to endure,” Burles said.

“I want it to be fair, so there’s no differentiation between people.”