Standing Committee of Veterans Affairs (SCVA)

Tom.Kmiec@parl.gc.ca  Member of Parliament

Tom.Kmiec.C1@parl.gc.ca  Executive Assistant to Tom Kmiec

Note to his Executive Assistant:

Please read below for some history on our cause. You will see that we are an organized, growing group of Veterans who all have experienced similar outcomes with the VAC/BPA/VRAB Consortium. Please revisit: www.veteranswithcancer.com

You helped before with connecting us to CF Health Services through the DND Ombudsmen and there are meetings on this next week within themselves. So when we get nowhere, you definitely can open doors.

We what are now hoping to accomplish is to bring forward systemic issues that we have come across that could help veterans, but also help their consortium. In my email to the VAC Ombuds contact person (Laurie) she outright refused to listen to any concerns and referred us to the BPA.

With considerable difficulty, I sent a message to the BPA, as it seems they prefer phone calls, then nothing is on paper. The BPA lawyer (Dawn) seemed a little put out that VAC said to contact them. I did not go into individual details because now our direction is to request a meeting with decision makers. Dawn outright refused to consider a meeting with us. Same as with Laurie; simply we don't do that. Further, they both started hiding behind their mandate. Mandates can be open to interpretation.

Cole, we are respectfully asking you to influence the new Minister of Veteran Affairs to allow us the forum, through an official meeting to bring forward our suggestions. It is their discretion to institute the suggestions, but we hope to get the opportunity. She doesn't have to attend, however it would be a waste of resources not to have a decision maker there to bring issues forward if he/she wishes.

Oddly enough, both Laurie and Dawn openly applauded, contacting our MP's, W5 and the media. Almost in a challenging and mocking manner, if asked my opinion. I believe you know my story about terminal cancer and now that of others. We have cancers, or Parkinson's or other types of serious illnesses. We have spouses giving care to veterans in their at home hospital bed. Yes, there are varying degrees of some approval, but more likely, there are many more denied service related benefits. That in itself is tragic and to be mocked to contact W5 and/or MP's, in reality mocks your influence and that of Tom Kmiec. After both calls from Laurie and then Dawn, I tearfully thought, aren't they supposed to help us?

Cole, we are not asking for much. We just want the forum to bring attention to suggestions that may help all. Or be dismissed; as long as we have the opportunity to speak openly. Whatever comes of the meeting, at least we will have been heard. Ever wonder why the consortium doesn't send out surveys or report cards to fill out? They don't because they don't do that. That would have been their answer.

I hope your long weekend was/is enjoyable. And thank you for whatever assistance you can provide. Would it be helpful if a few more MP's were contacted?  And please keep Tom Kmiec informed and with our health, we request priority on a response. Good for VAC, some of us were classified Red Zone because they recognized our seriousness, but yet that Red Zone disappears quickly.

If I could provide a notice. Please prepare yourself for the mandate excuse and that they don't do meetings or take suggestions. I dont know how that will sit with you, but it is not a good justification for us, and only cause us to write to whomever next you suggest. We'd love to see this on Question Period or discussed on the floor.

Thank you,

Randall (Randy) Hladun CD
Warrant Officer (ret'd)
www.veteranswithcancer.com

Email Member of Parliament Tom Kmiec