Neither Forgiveness nor Oblivion! It
is the Screams of Pain and the Anguish of our Children"
Julian Fantino apologizes to vets as Mulcair joins call for
minister’s firing after ‘unacceptable meeting’
Finally one of the worst Canadian repressors is stepping down from Minister of Veterans Affairs. As Toronto police chief was characterized by its ferocity of creating panic in the residents of public housing, ordering the kidnap and torture of children, criminalizing to people from minority communities, by the persecution and torture of social activists. This former chief of police of Toronto could be compared with the Latin American repressors of the caliber of Manuel Contreras from Chile, (Dina) Neither forgiveness nor oblivion! It is the screams of pain and the anguish of our children" NATIONAL POST. Perhaps that is not surprising. Mr. Fantino was born in Italy in 1942, when the country was under the heel of Benito Mussolini’s fascists. It wouldn’t be until two years later that Allied Forces, including thousands of Canadians, would free the country. News
How Julian Fantino went from star MP to political
liability: ‘He has not heard the pleas of our veterans’
Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News | November 30,
2014 8:49 PM ET
More from Postmedia News
More from Postmedia News
Peter J. Thompson/National Post)Prime Minister Stephen
Harper, left, shakes hands with Conservative MP Julian Fantino on April 7,
2011. (Photo by Peter J. Thompson/National Post) (For Story by /National
Post/National) //NATIONAL POST STAFF PHOTO
Analysis When
Julian Fantino was elected to Parliament in November 2010, he was seen as a
star. A former Toronto police chief and Ontario Provincial Police commissioner,
the hard-nosed police boss had the credentials to shine in a Conservative
government that billed itself as tough on crime.
Four years later, the view is very different. When
auditor general Michael Ferguson released a critical report detailing the
hurdles many veterans still face trying to access mental health services, Mr.
Fantino was an ocean away in Italy. His office defended the trip, which marked
the 70th anniversary of the Second World War’s Italian campaign. But some
questioned whether Mr. Fantino was running from the auditor’s findings. Or
worse, whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper had decided to keep him out of
sight.
Some see Mr. Fantino’s performance at Veterans Affairs as spectacularly
disastrous. Footage of a nasty exchange with veterans in January, where the
minister took issue with a finger-jabbing soldier before storming out, went
viral. So did video of Mr. Fantino being chased down a hallway by the wife of a
vet suffering from PTSD in May. Both incidents shadow him to this day.
CNW Group/Veterans Affairs CanadaThe Honourable Julian
Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, wishes safe travels to Veterans who are
part of an official Government of Canada delegation to Italy to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Italian Campaign. But
those who have worked with Mr. Fantino say those examples don’t do him justice. Four
years after arriving in Parliament, Mr. Fantino’s political weaknesses have
been exposed and the government is on the defensive when it comes to its
treatment of veterans. It could be only a matter of time until he is replaced.
On
the surface, Mr. Fantino had the hallmarks of an outstanding veterans affairs
minister. He ran two large police forces before being elected to Parliament. He
performed well as secretary of state for seniors shortly after arriving in
Ottawa.
Former staff, veterans groups and even opposition critics say he
harbours a genuine affection for veterans.
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- Feds to spend $200-million on boosting mental health support for soldiers — but veterans’ group says it’s ‘not enough’
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- ttawa to overhaul veterans’ benefits again after angry ex-soldiers vowed to campaign against Tories
Perhaps that is not surprising. Mr.
Fantino was born in Italy in 1942, when the country was under the heel of
Benito Mussolini’s fascists. It wouldn’t be until two years later that Allied
Forces, including thousands of Canadians, would free the country.
NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer, born in the Netherlands,
believes the experience was informative because “our parents were both
liberated by the Canadians.” Except
the majority of veterans seeking the government’s assistance today are
peacekeepers or former military members who served in Afghanistan. Some are
still in their 20s. And they haven’t been shy about voicing their anger over
the barriers they face gaining support and services. “The
majority of veterans are not disabled and disadvantaged,” said former veterans
ombudsman Pat Stogran. “The ones who are killing themselves are the ones who
are very desperate and being abandoned.”
Mr.
Fantino, as a police chief, displayed little empathy for those — such as
aboriginal groups, gay activists and other subsections of society — who sought
to air their grievances through public protests. While some described him as
tough and no-nonsense, others saw him as polarizing, insensitive and
aloof.
“He
has no time for political games, or what he thinks are political games,” said
one former staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
January 28, 2014: Veterans Affairs
Minister Julian Fantino blamed a Tory meeting that ran long as he apologized
for showing up “very late” for a scheduled appointment with ex-soldiers after
the group called for his resignation.
Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair,
however, says Fantino’s actions are disgraceful. He joined the former soldiers
in demanding Fantino step down or be fired after the minister abruptly
cancelled his meeting with the veterans, only to then appear at the last minute
and apparently insult the group.
“If there is a family of a victim,
and he thinks you are not representative of the group and you’re doing this to
embarrass me, then he’s going to walk away. And he doesn’t give a sh– what
anybody thinks about it.”
Mr. Fantino has been able to push
some initiatives to help veterans. He launched a review of the New Veterans
Charter, the system through which modern veterans receive benefits. He secured
more money for funerals and burials. He championed adding the Boer War and
Afghanistan to the National War Memorial.
But he has failed to address the
most pressing complaints voiced by veterans, including changing the
department’s culture to make it more receptive to veterans’ needs, which in
turn has contributed to the recent public relations disasters. And when he is
challenged in public, the results have not gone well.
“What will live with him through the
rest of his career is that finger-pointing,” said an official with one Canadian
veterans’ organization. “That was a really bad day that has literally
overshadowed his tenure.”
The official says the incident and
others have contributed to an atmosphere of distrust toward the government
among large parts of the veterans’ community.
Veterans Affairs was supposed to be
a strength for the Conservative government, which had long touted itself as the
most pro-military. It has become a weakness under Mr. Fantino’s watch. Sensing
blood, opposition parties plan to make veterans an election issue next year.
“He’s been absent since he became
minister,” said Liberal veterans affairs critic Frank Valeriote. “He has not
heard the pleas of our veterans.”
Recognizing the danger, the
government brought in reinforcements: retired general Walter Natynczyk, the
former chief of defence staff, became the department’s top bureaucrat last
month.
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