Vets jobs bill ‘defies logic,’ says military ombudsman
The military’s watchdog urged the Senate on Wednesday to fix a bill intended to give wounded exsoldiers first crack at federal civil service jobs, but the Conservative government appears ready to allow it to go through as written.
Canadian Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne says National Defence should have the power to determine if a soldier’s medical release is a result of military service.
Bill C-27 gives Veterans Affairs that responsibility, something Walbourne says doesn’t make sense, adds unnecessary red tape and could ultimately defeat the purpose of expedited job placement.
“To have a process to determine what is already been determined, for me, just defies logic,” Walbourne told the Senate’s veterans affairs subcommittee, mostly populated Wednesday by Conservative members of the upper chamber.
The legislation, which gives wounded troops priority for federal jobs, deserves to be passed, said veterans ombudsman Guy Parent, who called on the committee to attach an “observation” to the bill noting the concerns of watchdogs before it comes up for a final vote.
Walbourne argued National Defence is best suited to justify why a soldier is given medical discharge, not the veterans department, which should assess only the impact of the release on an individual.
Allowing Veterans Affairs to decide whether an injury is the result of military service could take six months, delaying not only job applications, but also the distribution of benefits, Walbourne said.
What may seem like a bureaucratic squabble between departments has long been a major sore spot for ex-soldiers, some of whom were let go from the military only to find Veterans Affairs does not see their medical condition in the same way.
Kayleigh Kanoza, a spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole, said the government “would like to see this bill brought into force as soon as possible,” but wouldn’t say if it would entertain changes at this stage. “We are committed to continuous improvement in our treatment of veterans, and look forward to seeing the Senate’s study,” she said in an email.
Mike Blais, of Canadian Veterans Advocacy, wonders why the government would let a flawed bill become law when two watchdogs have already sounded the alarm.
“They just want to ram it through before the election, wrap themselves in the flag and say they’ve done something,” said Blais.
Liberal MP Marc Garneau, a former member of the military, said “If the government really wants to send a strong signal that it is listening and that it does want to make change, everybody is going to be watching Mr. O’Toole to see if anything happens.”