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One only has to look at his history as Police Chief in York, London and Toronto as well as his time as Commissioner of the OPP to see what kind of a pompous and arrogant fool he is.
Fantino in/out of VAC: changes in DM/other staff (merged)
- Thread starter The Bread Guy
- Start date
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You're saying he is Senate material?recceguy said:
Fantino has a reputation for ramming through very unpopular budget cuts regardless of consequences. Perhaps that is why he was given the portfolio in the first place. He may be out there to absorb the heat. If he can keep his job after this that is most likely.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/28/veterans-group-calls-julian-fantinos-resignation-or-firing-after-tory-minister-fails-to-meet-over-closures/
Veterans group calls for Julian Fantino’s ‘resignation or firing’ after Tory minister fails to meet over closures
OTTAWA — Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino appeared to add insult to injury late Tuesday in firmly rejecting the pleas of ex-soldiers to halt the impending closure of eight of the department’s regional offices.
A scheduled meeting with a delegation of veterans, at least one from the Second World War, was abruptly cancelled and the group met with senior Conservatives, including MP Laurie Hawn and the minister’s chief of staff.
Just before veterans were set to hold a late evening news conference, Fantino met with them in a basement office on Parliament Hill to reinforce the message that the centres would close on schedule.
“The decision has been made,” Fantino said before leaving for another meeting. “We have found alternate accommodations that we feel will adequately address veterans and their needs.”
Centres — in Kelowna, B.C., Saskatoon, Brandon, Man., Thunder Bay, Ont., Windsor, Ont., Sydney, N.S., Charlottetown and Corner Brook, N.L. — are slated to shut down Friday as part of a move to more online and remote services. A ninth office has already closed in Prince George, B.C.
One veteran, Ron Clarke, said the minister’s brusk and disrespectful treatment has succeeded in alienating him from a core Conservative constituency, and he urged ex-soldiers to take out their frustration at the ballot box in 2015 after the “unbelievable, unacceptable and shameful meeting.”
“I would like to call for Mr. Fantino’s resignation — or firing,” Clarke said. “Mr. Harper and his Conservatives had best be prepared for the next election. There are two (other) parties who said they’d open our offices, and (soldiers) might want to think about voting for them, but not the Conservatives.”
Seven veterans, including Roy Lamore whose service dates back to the 1940s, says he and others feel betrayed by a government that promised to take care of them and younger soldiers.
“These closures will put veterans at risk,” Lamore, a resident of Thunder Bay, told a Parliament Hill news conference. “I hope the government is listening. Why do we, as veterans, have to beg?”
But earlier in the day during question period in the House of Commons, the prime minister brushed aside the criticism and noted that veterans can still get everything they need from the less specialized 584 Service Canada offices coast-to-coast.
With the declining veterans population, Stephen Harper suggested, the Second War World-era structure had out lived its purpose.
“There are a small number of service centres that are being closed that frankly service very few people, had very few visits,” Harper told the House of Commons.
“That’s being replaced with 600 service centres across the country, and in an increased number of cases employees will actually go and meet veterans instead of the other way around.”
Harper also pointed to increased investments the Conservatives have made under the New Veterans Charter. (5 billion on paper that resulted in 1.3 million in expenditures last year when I checked the budget. Perhaps 4.99 billlion in padding to balance the budget in 2015)
NDP Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair linked the imminent cuts to the increasing number of soldiers and ex-soldiers who’ve taken their lives since the fall.
“When our forces are facing a crisis of eight military suicides in two months, there’s never been a more important time to maintain those services,” Mulcair said.
Former corporal Bruce Moncur, who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2006, says the online system has increased frustration even among his Internet-savvy friends seeking benefits and treatment.
Filling out forms and navigating the department’s bureaucratic maze has taken him up to a week, he said, when just one office visit would have sorted it out in a morning.
Moncur, who suffered a shrapnel wound to the head, says he believes it’s a deliberate strategy to reduce use of services.
“When you keep getting the door slammed in your face, you just end up giving up,” he said. “It’s the no-go policy. If you’re told ’No’ enough times, you’ll go away.”
Following the meeting, Moncur pleaded with veterans to not be discouraged and file for the benefits to which they are entitled.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents Veterans Affairs staff, has been running a high-profile campaign against the closures. One of the frontline workers, Michelle Bradley, said she feels defeated and ashamed because veterans will no longer get the personal service they deserve.
The union says the specialized knowledge of veterans staff cannot be replicated at Service Canada centres, where the public applies for employment insurance and even social insurance numbers.
The inability to access services, particularly mental health, could have dire consequences, other veterans warned.
One ex-soldier at the news conference soberly recounted the struggle of a comrade, who took his own life years after being wounded in Cyprus.
The Harper government plans a series of commemorations this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France, as well as the centennial of the start of the First World War.
“It’s really convenient to show yourself in such a commemorative way, except services are required,” said Moncur. “I think the money would be better spent to help veterans that need the help.”
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/28/veterans-group-calls-julian-fantinos-resignation-or-firing-after-tory-minister-fails-to-meet-over-closures/
Veterans group calls for Julian Fantino’s ‘resignation or firing’ after Tory minister fails to meet over closures
OTTAWA — Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino appeared to add insult to injury late Tuesday in firmly rejecting the pleas of ex-soldiers to halt the impending closure of eight of the department’s regional offices.
A scheduled meeting with a delegation of veterans, at least one from the Second World War, was abruptly cancelled and the group met with senior Conservatives, including MP Laurie Hawn and the minister’s chief of staff.
Just before veterans were set to hold a late evening news conference, Fantino met with them in a basement office on Parliament Hill to reinforce the message that the centres would close on schedule.
“The decision has been made,” Fantino said before leaving for another meeting. “We have found alternate accommodations that we feel will adequately address veterans and their needs.”
Centres — in Kelowna, B.C., Saskatoon, Brandon, Man., Thunder Bay, Ont., Windsor, Ont., Sydney, N.S., Charlottetown and Corner Brook, N.L. — are slated to shut down Friday as part of a move to more online and remote services. A ninth office has already closed in Prince George, B.C.
One veteran, Ron Clarke, said the minister’s brusk and disrespectful treatment has succeeded in alienating him from a core Conservative constituency, and he urged ex-soldiers to take out their frustration at the ballot box in 2015 after the “unbelievable, unacceptable and shameful meeting.”
“I would like to call for Mr. Fantino’s resignation — or firing,” Clarke said. “Mr. Harper and his Conservatives had best be prepared for the next election. There are two (other) parties who said they’d open our offices, and (soldiers) might want to think about voting for them, but not the Conservatives.”
Seven veterans, including Roy Lamore whose service dates back to the 1940s, says he and others feel betrayed by a government that promised to take care of them and younger soldiers.
“These closures will put veterans at risk,” Lamore, a resident of Thunder Bay, told a Parliament Hill news conference. “I hope the government is listening. Why do we, as veterans, have to beg?”
But earlier in the day during question period in the House of Commons, the prime minister brushed aside the criticism and noted that veterans can still get everything they need from the less specialized 584 Service Canada offices coast-to-coast.
With the declining veterans population, Stephen Harper suggested, the Second War World-era structure had out lived its purpose.
“There are a small number of service centres that are being closed that frankly service very few people, had very few visits,” Harper told the House of Commons.
“That’s being replaced with 600 service centres across the country, and in an increased number of cases employees will actually go and meet veterans instead of the other way around.”
Harper also pointed to increased investments the Conservatives have made under the New Veterans Charter. (5 billion on paper that resulted in 1.3 million in expenditures last year when I checked the budget. Perhaps 4.99 billlion in padding to balance the budget in 2015)
NDP Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair linked the imminent cuts to the increasing number of soldiers and ex-soldiers who’ve taken their lives since the fall.
“When our forces are facing a crisis of eight military suicides in two months, there’s never been a more important time to maintain those services,” Mulcair said.
Former corporal Bruce Moncur, who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2006, says the online system has increased frustration even among his Internet-savvy friends seeking benefits and treatment.
Filling out forms and navigating the department’s bureaucratic maze has taken him up to a week, he said, when just one office visit would have sorted it out in a morning.
Moncur, who suffered a shrapnel wound to the head, says he believes it’s a deliberate strategy to reduce use of services.
“When you keep getting the door slammed in your face, you just end up giving up,” he said. “It’s the no-go policy. If you’re told ’No’ enough times, you’ll go away.”
Following the meeting, Moncur pleaded with veterans to not be discouraged and file for the benefits to which they are entitled.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents Veterans Affairs staff, has been running a high-profile campaign against the closures. One of the frontline workers, Michelle Bradley, said she feels defeated and ashamed because veterans will no longer get the personal service they deserve.
The union says the specialized knowledge of veterans staff cannot be replicated at Service Canada centres, where the public applies for employment insurance and even social insurance numbers.
The inability to access services, particularly mental health, could have dire consequences, other veterans warned.
One ex-soldier at the news conference soberly recounted the struggle of a comrade, who took his own life years after being wounded in Cyprus.
The Harper government plans a series of commemorations this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France, as well as the centennial of the start of the First World War.
“It’s really convenient to show yourself in such a commemorative way, except services are required,” said Moncur. “I think the money would be better spent to help veterans that need the help.”
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hamiltongs said:
I agree with you on that. I've always thought that Mr. Fantino was a stooge, but that was embarrassing. From my impression of that
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Implying that because the Centres would be closed at the end of January these people pre-emptively killed themselves goes beyond shameful politics but straight to downright stupid.Nemo888 said:
Your village called Tom, they want you to come home. :not-again:
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Journeyman said:
Did they even notice that he was missing?
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When someone said "where is that idiot?"George Wallace said:
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Journeyman said:
In the quote I read, in both the National Post and CBC, he implied nothing of the kind. The actual quote was: “When our forces are facing a crisis of eight military suicides in two months, there’s never been a more important time to maintain those services.” This seems to be linking the past suicides to a need, in the future, to keep those centres open, in order to help others who might be in trouble. A subtle but important distinction.
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Agreed that it's a significant distinction, but not remotely subtle; however my comment here was based on what was published here.bridges said:
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The small office in Kelowna is to be closed. I believe it was more of a satellite office of the Penticton office, one hour drive south of Kelowna.
My personal dealings with the Kelowna office were not satisfactory at all. The guy I spoke with, and his supervisor who I complained to about him, were condescending, uninterested and the negative, stereotyped public servant.
No loss here.
Penticton office is very good.
My personal dealings with the Kelowna office were not satisfactory at all. The guy I spoke with, and his supervisor who I complained to about him, were condescending, uninterested and the negative, stereotyped public servant.
No loss here.
Penticton office is very good.
Our needs are getting hijacked by political partisanship. I can't disagree that the current government is screwing us over like every recent government of any party. If we don't get our own action plan and figure out what we want we will be used by all parties and be tainted in the process. That road will get none of our concerns looked after as partisans want strife and actively dislike actual solutions.
We need a few things very badly;
1. The SISIP lawsuit needs to be settled. The government lost, is clearly in the wrong and will have to pay once they lose all the appeals. Being honourable in this case would reestablish some goodwill and repair the shattered trust.
2. Real education benefits that actually get approved and give real job opportunities. i.e. Post secondary degrees.
3. Failing that make Priority Hiring more than a pretty pamphlet.
4. All vets need to be treated the same. Having this unfair two tiered system for vets pre and post 2005 is wrong. We are all vets and we need to stick together. The Legion should finally get on board with this. The 7 years of deafening silence should come to an end now that Fantino is coming for their benefits as well. The new messaging is the old vets are almost gone and they are a waste of money. We should suggest they get on board now, but they need to speak up for our issues too.
These are just preliminary ideas, but hopefully we can come up with something better than partisans throwing us under the bus. If we don't come up with something and and it become an election issue where we don't control the messaging we will be screwed over for a decade.
We need a few things very badly;
1. The SISIP lawsuit needs to be settled. The government lost, is clearly in the wrong and will have to pay once they lose all the appeals. Being honourable in this case would reestablish some goodwill and repair the shattered trust.
2. Real education benefits that actually get approved and give real job opportunities. i.e. Post secondary degrees.
3. Failing that make Priority Hiring more than a pretty pamphlet.
4. All vets need to be treated the same. Having this unfair two tiered system for vets pre and post 2005 is wrong. We are all vets and we need to stick together. The Legion should finally get on board with this. The 7 years of deafening silence should come to an end now that Fantino is coming for their benefits as well. The new messaging is the old vets are almost gone and they are a waste of money. We should suggest they get on board now, but they need to speak up for our issues too.
These are just preliminary ideas, but hopefully we can come up with something better than partisans throwing us under the bus. If we don't come up with something and and it become an election issue where we don't control the messaging we will be screwed over for a decade.
Teager
Sr. Member
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We do have our own action plan. IMO we have someone representing us and has the majority of our concerns laid out with solutions. That would be the Ombudsman. The problem lies in getting the government to act on the Ombudsmans recommendations. Vets need to take his points and press that as the issue.
Every time an ombudsman speaks up in the slightest he gets fired. If we went that route he would not be allowed to speak to the media. We need to take control of our message since it seems others are trying to hijack it.
What are the specific ombudsman recommendations we should be addressing?
What are the specific ombudsman recommendations we should be addressing?
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Our "representatives" sounded like a bunch of cry babies. Why can't we ever find a guy with half a brain to speak on behalf of veterans.
The real problems we have, which some of you alluded to, get lost in the weeds when we have a couple of loud mouthed union rep's bitching about closing an office in Penticton. Not to mention that not one of these guys looked under the age of 65 (Ok maybe one guy with the SWASM looked 55) which tells me they don't represent the modern veteran at all.
The real problems we have, which some of you alluded to, get lost in the weeds when we have a couple of loud mouthed union rep's bitching about closing an office in Penticton. Not to mention that not one of these guys looked under the age of 65 (Ok maybe one guy with the SWASM looked 55) which tells me they don't represent the modern veteran at all.
Old vets didn't seem to care when we were enduring the New Veterans Charter. Perhaps now would be a good time to unite as they are on the chopping block now. Old and new vets together at a media event being respectful, disciplined and on message would be impossible to ignore.
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RoyalDrew said:
I retired last year at age 60 I have deployments to Bosnia and Afghanistan plus 3 1\2 years in the early 70's in Germany and postings and deployments to all four coasts of North America.
However, according to you, I don't represent nor am I a modern veteran?
Why put an age on it at all? Pretty biased right out of the gate if you ask me.
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