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Topic: Military/RCMP Veterans Pension Claw Back. (Read 509 times)
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Posts: 3209
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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To busy? Doing what? Wrapping themselves in the flag every time the military is mentioned instead of doing their freaking job and taking care of us?
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Young Ken
Veteran 300+ Member
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Posts: 394
Fort York - 2 RCR 67-70 * 1 RCR Recce 70-74
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Claw back of Pension
April 14, 2008
The Honorable Jean Crowder;
MP NDP Nanaimo/Cowichan.,
British Columbia
Dear Jean;
Please allow me this opportunity to [A] Identify myself
[B] state the purpose of this letter [C] provide you with some back
ground and [D] explain my position on the matters at hand., which at
times may cause you some concern knowing your position on Vancouver
Island.
I am Donnie Cappler, a retired member of the Canadian
Military who served 25 years , I currently reside in Nanaimo with my
wife June, and may be reached at 250-xxxxx or e-mail xxxxxx..
……. The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention the
unjust procedure of the Canadian Government to CLAW BACK military
pension at age 65.
I enlisted in the Canadian Military in Aug 1960 and
served for 25 years retiring 25 Aug 1985, during these 25 years I saw
duty across Canada, and served 7 years with NATO in West Germany in
the Cold War era. Though Germany was considered a good posting there
were always the threat and constant reminder of the tension between
two super powers and we were in the middle.
As a member of the military I was compelled to pay a
portion of my monthly salary towards my "end of career" pension, for
the purpose of this letter I am going to use MY exact figures or as
close as I can get as they pertain to my pay, and allowances and claw
back in an effort to drive home the unfairness of the claw back, and
to paint a true picture.
Upon my retirement at the end of 25 years service I was
awarded a military pension of $1219.00 with no chance of indexing for
18 YEARS, to qualify for indexing a soldier has to obtain the magic
number of 85 [age plus years of service] I joined at age 17 and
retired at 42. In 2003 at age 60, I was indexed and my pension rose
to by approx. 57% to $1913.00, I continued to receive indexing for
the next 5 years and my pension reached a grand sum of $2152.00 by
January 2008. Then came the good news, as of the month following my
65th birthday [February 2008] my pension would be clawed back on a
two tier system. The original pension of $1219.00 would be reduced to
$1008.11 and the indexing would be reduced by prorating it over a 23
year time frame [though I only drew the indexing for 5 years] to
reflect my new gross pension of $1811.98 a drop of $340.00 per
month….Happy Birthday…oh did I forget to mention I now receive OAS of
$ 504.00 per month..
In comparing pensions I see federal MPs qualify for a
full pension after 6 years of SERVICE and it is indexed immediately,
I fully realize there are many times when you are away from your
home, neighborhood, and family, and carry on employment in two
cities, as a member of the military I to was away from home, an
average of 200 days a year for all of my 17 years in combat ready
units, yet no extra compensation was ever offered. Twenty five years
vs. six years. Now comes the BIG kicker…at age 65 MPs pensions are
not clawed back…why is that? Seems strange that both the politicians
and the military work for the same government yet there are different
rules when it comes to pensions….Now that seems fair? Oh I know that
OAS for MPs may be reduced or cut out if their total income exceeds
the federal allowable amount, of $64,000.00 the same rules apply to
military members, the difference is the military pension is so much
less it very rarely plays a part. To stress this fact, my yearly
pension a combination of CPP, OAS, and Military pension is
$32,880.00, may I add this of course is gross, prior to any
deductions. There is a reason for that and it based on dollars earned
over the years, I do not have any problem with MPs earning a fair
salary which relates to a larger pensions that I understand, from a
military pay of $64.00 per month in 1960 to a high of $2783.00 in
1985 after 25 years service and obtaining the rank of Master Warrant
Officer [MWO] equates to a pension of $1219.00, I ask you where is
the justice. The claw back also has far reaching aspects, when a
military member dies after age 65 the "spouse" is entitled to 66% of
his/her pension, [this was just increased in 2007 from 50% the fine
work of the NDP ] lets look at the figures…..$2152x66%=$1420.00
compared to $1811.00 x 66%=$1195.00 a net loss of $211.00 per month,
this many times is the difference between living and existing, and
often strips the "spouse" of their dignity, and financial
independence.
I would hate to see the mess in this fine nation would be in
if the treaty payments given to our First Nations people were to
ever be diminished or welfare and social assistance were cut like
that of the military pension, nor can I imagine what the government
would do…..on second thought I know what would happen. They would
call upon the military to restore order. I do not bring this up just
to aggravate you or berate our First Nations people or poke fun at
those in need simply to bring to full light the serious unjust manner
in which our soldiers, airman, and sailors, vets included are being
treated.
I recall several years ago that the Canadian government saw
fit to rectify an injustice to the Chinese people of our country by
awarding them a settlement of SEVERAL BILLION dollars, despite the
fact the injustice was done with the best interest of the Canadian
people being foremost. In essence if the government can go back 200
years and rectify some of the problems with the First Nations and 65
years and do the same for the Chinese why is there such a problem
with undoing the injustice imposed by the government upon our
military that was established in 1966. We are not looking for retro
active payments just stop the CLAW BACK, and do it now. Give the
soldier the fairness and justice he deserves.
It is not the military Commanders, Commanding Officers or
even the Chief of Defense Staff that determine where the military
serves, where they go, what they are to do, when they are to do it,
theses decisions are made by the members of parliament, those that
make up our Nation's government. It behooves me to understand how
politicians can play with the lives of the military member the very
lives that gave him/her their freedom and protect their country yet
[with the exception of a few] do not support them when unjust and
unfair practices are placed upon them. Something that is within their
power to do, there seemed to be no problem changing legislation to
facilitate the rectifying of "unjust" practices to others. They have
no problem committing them to theatres of operations yet sit on their
hands when asked to support a Private Members bill introduced by
Peter Stoffer MP NDP Sackville-Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia to abolish
the military pension claw back in 2006.
It is a known fact the last Liberal government with Paul
Martin as the finance Minister extracted approximately
$16,000,000,000.00 [BILLION] from the Canadian Military pension fund
to pay down the national debt of Canada. Is the national debt not the
responsibility of EACH Canadian, oh I understand the military and
it's employment require a good number of $$$$$$$$ to get their job
done as the government deems fit and it adds to the debt of Canada,
then again so do infrastructure, medical care, OAS and EVERYTHING
else that cost money to run a nation. I did not see the government
extract any money from one of the richest pension funds available,
that of the teachers, why is that? Because they have no control, but
they do control the military!
Here are men and women who have written blank checks to
the people of Canada to provide a service to the Nation and its
protection even if it means giving one's life, this is a bill paid in
advance. These are the same men and women that spent months fighting
the flood of the Red River, quelled the Oka uprising in Quebec,
cleared the streets of Toronto of snow, commit them selves to aide to
civil authority and aide to civil power, lined the streets of
Montreal during the FLQ crisis, and currently giving their lives in
Afghanistan, all part of that blank check. Each and every month I
see politicians traveling around the world visiting our troops,
sitting among them, sharing stories, etc, I do not however suspect
that one MP that visited Kandahar mentioned the fact that upon
retirement and reaching age 65 we will claw back a portion of your
pension…..This is not a subject that is NOT known to the "HILL
PEOPLE" in Ottawa…Peter Stoffer MP NDP Sackville Eastern Shore, has
raised in the house on several occasions, and as mentioned
introduced a bill in 2006, and is about to reintroduce yet another
private member's bill [bill 502] to effectively abolish the CLAW
BACK of the military pension. We as a "people" of Canada need and
look for your support in the passing of this bill. I regress just a
moment to say thanks to the NDP for their latest upgrades of the
Veterans Act; in 2007 it for sure was a step in the right direction,
again my personal, thanks. Ironically while composing/writing this
letter I learned of General Hiller's decision to step down as the
Chief of Defense Staff, seems he also has had enough of the policies
of the current Conservative government and the unfair way and unjust
measures imposed upon his troops.
It is common knowledge that our Prime Minister Mr. Harper
and his party favor the status quo; it will take the combined support
of all other parties or the convincing of many of the Conservative
members to bring a resolve to this improper and unjust act, even if
it means a change in legislation.
Respectively submitted;
Donnie Cappler
Sergeant Major
Retired
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Frank Mio
Newbie
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Posts: 2
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Hello,
First off I would like to say that your letter was very interesting as I have just become a pensioner and was not aware of all the finer details.
Just curious as to what response if any have you received?
Frank
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Gender:
Posts: 5264
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Hi Guys This is an arcticle from the Crown & Anchor dated June 2008.  Jim |
1961-Depot San Lenorado
1962-1st Bn RCR Ex Gagetown
1962-JR NCO Course Grad 19 Oct
1962-1965 Germany B-C-D-A Coy (Revecated Nov 64)
1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
1977-1982 UEO, Sigs, Pl WO RECCE, CSM B&A Coy,
1982-1984 SIT School
1984-1988 Career Manager (Prom CWO 1986)
1988-1990 RSM 1RCR
1991-1995 CWO Adm(Per) - C Of S
1995-1999 Base CWO Wainwright
1999-Retired
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