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Background - One of Many Steps to Come
A new petition has been posted at: http://www.petitiononline.com/CADLSPCF/petition.html. All are encouraged to sign the petition if they concur. Petitions are just one of many tools that may be used in democracies to express citizens' opinions on an issue. Legal and non-violent demonstrations/rallies, writing or meeting with your MP, making comments to the media, lobbying, voting are but some of the democratic tools available. Utilization of these tools not only fall within the rights of citizens, but their use in expressing opinion is an ethical obligation for the electorate. Democracies represent their citizens' wishes and priorities. However, democracies must be held accountable by the people that they are suppose to represent. This requires each individual citizen's involvement, their input into all political levels of a democracy. Failure by citizens to keep a tight reign on their political representatives often translates into losing some or all of those very principles that form a democratic state. Just ask a 'soldier'! Your Canadian Forces (CF) service members have been deployed and operating in foreign lands where the people have failed to keep their political apparatus in check. Your service members have seen it all. The members of the CF loyally serve Canada's citizens through the elected, representative Canadian government of the day. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and airwoman know that there are increased mortal risks when they voluntarily join the CF, to serve duty to their fellow citizens. That loyalty, however, works both ways. |
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CF members are injured or wounded due to service, it is expected that
those same citizens, through their elected government, will take care of
them in the best possible manner.
This is what the petition is about. In this small way you can make your voice heard, and reinforce those democratic principles that all Canadians hold close, and support your troops and veterans. This is but one step in many more actions to come. This petition action does not stop at this point, rather it is just the start point to further advocacy to rectify the disability compensation payment to our injured and wounded soldiers. As compared to our closest allies, USA, UK and Australia, Canadian veteran compensation is far behind our allies and their applied inherent responsibilities to their veterans. No one system is perfect, and no one allied veteran package can fit the bill for other countries. Canada needs a made-in-Canada solution to justifiably and adequately compensate and look after its disabled veterans. The New Veteran Charter (NVC) was suppose to be a base document that would evolve over time as circumstances changed or additional needs were identified. Although there have been studies, committees, appeals from all corners to alter the NVC to reflect more appropriate and fair handling of disabled veterans, this has not come about. Not a single word of the NVC has been changed, even though all federal political parties oin signing the bill into legislation, had agreed that the charter would evolve. A few examples of our allies' support to their injured and wounded soldiers and veterans are at the links below:
Veteran advocacy does not end with the compensation payment issue. Many other veteran issues remain outstanding and need to be righted. To see just a few, see VVi's On-Going Issues. Your serving troops, the future veterans, and current Canadian veterans need your help now. Get involved! Research veteran issues! Support your troops! Publisher VVi
Petition Text The petition text is as below.
To read more and to sign the petition, CLICK on this link: |
