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Topic: What the politicians really think of our military!! (Read 1015 times)
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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
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April 12, 2008 HALIFAX LIVE ONLINE
What the politicians really think of our military
Written by Al Hollingsworth
Every time I hear a politician lament the passing of a member of our military, I do a slow burn. It isn't as if I don't believe that they do feel genuine sorrow for the death of a Canadian serving his or her country. These tragic losses are difficult to bear, even for the most grizzled in our society.
However, rather than read a statement of grief, or table a resolution, it is time for those who lead this nation to do something tangible and downright meaningful for our service personnel. Today it would be for the retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. And, down the road, it would be a tremendous gift to those on the front lines today.
I'm talking about repealing a piece of legislation the Liberal government of 1966 slipped past those of us who were then serving in one of the aforementioned bodies. Lester Pearson's Grits engineered the meanest money-grabbing legislation imaginable, pushing through a bill that robs veterans and retired Mounties of a huge hunk of their pensions when they reach their 65th birthday.
The Liberals' Bill of 1966 that still stands 42 years later, claws back money from the veterans when they reach age 65. A friend of mine had his pension monies reduced by $400 a month. And keep in mind that these very same people who thought, and continue to think it is okay to steal from veterans, developed thei r own gold-plated pension plan that sets them up for life.
Peter Stoffer, to his credit, has been trying to bring about changes to this bill since he was first made aware of the plight of these special Canadians. The Sackville/Eastern Shore NDP Member of Parliament may be seen as a voice in the wilderness, but he has been a consistent and persistent voice, along with members of his caucus.
On November 7, 2006, NDP Leader Jack Layton put forward a Veteran's First Motion, a motion that covered various issues including the benefit claw back. The vote passed 156 for and 111 against. The 111 were the members of the Conservative Government; among others, Peter MacKay, retired General Gordon O'Connor, Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper said no to the veterans of Canada.
The next time this group has the audacity to deliver their carefully crafted messages around the death of a member of our military, we need to remember that actions speak louder than words..
Let me state here and now, because I opted not to be a career soldier, getting out after six and a half years, the legislation does not affect me financially. It does however, bother me greatly to see the effect it has on these good men and women who willingly faced danger and endured long periods of separation from their families.
When these people were serving Canada, they contributed to CCP and paid taxes, helping to build the pool of money that would someday be available for old age pensioners. The politicians (read Liberals and Conservatives) contribution? Collectively, they have ignored this gross injustice.
When I see members of parliament laying wreaths on November 11th, I want to upchuck. How hypocritical. How callous. And how dumb do they think we are?
We can only hope that someday a political system will emerge, with elected members who have the courage and the conviction to implement measures that will right the wrongs of previous administrations. With some notable and fine exceptions, what we have had in place for far too long has been a steady stream of career politicians intent on their self-serving agendas rather than standing up for these largely unsung heroes.
(Al Hollingsworth is a rertired journalist and broadcaster)
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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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Doug Clarkson
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Good post Jim, but you have to forgive me as I am basically uneducated in this subject, what exactly is clawed back, our Military pension or the CPP? And do you know how much is clawed back? Again please forgive me, I kinda feel like a JackA** as I am now collecting a Canadian Forces Pension and had no idea that when I start collecting my old age pension there is going to be money clawed back from me. Any more information on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Cornwallis 78 - 79, 1 RCR 79 - 84, Cyprus 84 - 85, 1 RCR: 85 - 89, Cyprus 89 - 90, 1 RCR 90 - 92, Kingston 92 - 94, 1 RCR 94,
Croatia 94 - 95, 1 RCR: 95 - 97, 3 RCR 97 - 98, Bosnia 98 - 99, 3 RCR 99, CFJSR Kingston 99 - 04, DAT Kingston 04 - 07, Retired: 07, Class "B" BCWO Assistant CFB Kingston 07 - Present
UNFICYP 2, UNPROFOR, NATO Former Yugo, CFPSM, QGJM, CD1
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Means your getting bones, brother.
And not only in that sense.
Prior to Astan, if you qualified for a veterans Affairs pension and SISIP, in the form of long term disability, SISIP has the right to clawback your veterans Affairs pension even though their is NO T4 slip and it is not considered taxable income.
When the Liberals were in power, all parties in parliament agreed this was unfair and the Conservatives took steps to correct the situation.
Which they did but... only for those serving or injured in Astan.
The rest of us were ignored and forgotten which, in this case, lies directly at the feet of the New Conservative government. You know, those who like to wrap themselves in the flag when it suits them and screw us over when it doesn't.
I will use my case as an example and round it off to a G note a month, times twelve, since 1992.
Tax free.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrr...
Of course, they will jab both that pension and my CPP disability at sixty-five...
Brrrrr again.
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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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Jim Hickson
CWO H.J. Hickson, MMM, CD. (Retd)
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Hi Doug I'll put the question like this: http://users.eastlink.ca/~clawback/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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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Once again, it is the conservatives who willfully IGNORE a democratic vote in Parliament... once again, it is to our detriment. This is from the site Jim mentioned, under the naysayers column.
...On the 07 November 2006, on the initiative of Mr Jack Layton, Leader of the Federal New Democratic Party (NDP), the House Of Comons voted on the - Veteran's First Motion - (a 5 point motion in support of various veterans' issues; including our benefit Claw Back issue). The Motion passed successfully with a vote of 156 Yeas to 111 Nays ( all Conservative members of the Government)
All members of the The Liberals, The NDP and the Bloc, who were in the House Of Commons at the time of the vote, voted unamously, Yes, in support of the Veterans' First Motion
The naysayers?
* MP Jim Abbott - Kootenay - Columbia, BC
* MP Diane Ablonczy - Calgary - Nose Hill, AB
* MP Harold Albrecht - Kitchener - Conestoga, ON
* MP Michael Allen - Tobique - Mactaquac, NB
* MP Rona Ambrose - Edmonton - Spruce Grove, AB
* MP Rob Anders - Calgary West, AB
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* MP David Anderson - Cypress Hills - Grasslands, SK
* MP John Baird - Ottawa West - Nepean, ON
* MP Dave Batters - Pallise, SK
* MP Leon Benoit - Vegreville - Wainwright, AB
* MP Mxime Bernier - Beauce, Que
* MP James Bezan - Selkirk - Interlake, MB
* MP Jean-Piere Blackburn - Jonquiere - Alma, Que
* MP Steven Blaney - Levis - Bellechasse, Que
* MP Garry Breitkreuz - Yorkton - Melville, SK
* MP Gord Brown - Leeds -Grenville, ON
* MP Patrick Brown - Barrie, ON
* MP Rod Bruinooge - Winipeg South, MB
* MP Blaine Calkins - Wetaskiwin, AB
* MP Ronald Cannan - Kelowna - Lake Country, BC
* MP Lawrence Cannon - Pontiac, Que
* MP Colin Carrie - Oshawa, ON
* MP Rick Casson - Lethbridge, AB
* MP Mike Chong - Wellington - Halton Hills, ON
* MP Tony Clement - Parry Sound - Muskoka, ON
* MP John Cummins - Delta - Richmond East, BC
* MP Patricia Davidson - Sarnia - Lambton, ON
* MP Stockwell Day - Okanagan - Coquihalla, BC
* MP Dean Del Mastro - Peterborough, ON
* MP Barry Devolin - Haliburton - Kawartha Lakes, ON
* MP Norman Doyle - St John's South - Mount Pearl, NL
* MP Richard Dykstra - St Catherines, ON
* MP David Emerson - Vancouver Kingsway, BC
* MP Ken Epp - Edmonton - Sherwood Park, AB D Fast - Abbotsford, BC
* MP Diane Finley - Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
* MP Brian Fitzpatrick - Prince Albert, SK
* MP Jim Flaherty - Whitby - Oshawa, ON
* MP Steven Fletcher - Charleswood - St. James - Assiniboia, MB
* MP Royal Galipeau - Ottawa - Orléans, ON
* MP Cheryl Gallant - Renfrew - Nipissing - Pembroke, ON
* MP Ralph Goldring - Edmonton East, AB
* MP Gary Goodyear - Cambridge, ON
* MP Jacques Gourde - Lotbinière - Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, Que
* MP Nina Grewal - Fleetwood - Port Kells, BC
* MP Helena Guergis - Simcoe - Grey, ON
* MP Art Hanger - Calgary Northeast, AB
* MP Stephen Harper - Calgary Southwest, AB
* MP Richard Harris - Cariboo - Prince George, BC
* MP Luc Harvey - Louis-Hébert, Que
* MP Laurie Hawn - Edmonton Centre, AB
* MP Loyola Hearn - St. John's South - Mount Pearl, NL
* MP Rus Hiebert - South Surrey - White Rock - Cloverdale, BC
* MP Jay Hill - Prince George - Peace River, BC
* MP Betty Hinton - Kamloops - Thompson - Cariboo, BC
* MP Rahim Jaffer - Edmonton - Strathcona, AB
* MP Brian Jean - Fort McMurray - Athabasca, AB
* MP Jason Kenney - Calgary Southeast, AB
* MP Ed Komarnicki - Souris - Moose Mountain, SK
* MP Mike Lake - Edmonton - Mill Woods - Beaumont, AB
* MP Guy Lauzon - Stormont - Dundas - South Glengarry, ON
* MP Tom Lukiwski - Regina - Lumsden - Lake Centre, SK
* MP Gary Lunn - Saanich - Gulf Islands, BC
* MP Peter MacKay - Central Nova, NS
* MP Dave MacKenzie - Oxford, ON
* MP Colin Mayes - Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
* MP Ted Menzies - Macleod, AB
* MP Rob Merrifield - Yellowhead, AB
* MP Larry Miller - Bruce - Grey - Owen Sound, ON
* MP Bob Mills - Red Deer, AB
* MP James Moore - Port Moody - Westwood - Port Coquitlam, BC
* MP Rob Moore - Fundy Royal, NB
* MP Rob Nicholson - Niagara Falls, ON
* MP Rick Norlock - Northumberland - Quinte West, ON
* MP Gordon O'Connor - Carleton - Mississippi Mills, ON
* MP Deepak Obhrai - Calgary East, AB
* MP Bev Oda - Durham, ON
* MP Brian Pallister - Portage - Lisgar, MB
* MP Christian Paradis - Mégantic—L'Érable, Que
* MP Pierre Poilievre - Nepean - Carleton, ON
* MP Jim Prentice - Calgary Centre-North, AB
* MP Joe Preston - Elgin - Middlesex - London, ON
* MP James Rajotte - Edmonton - Leduc, AB
* MP Scott Reid - Lanark - Frontenac - Lennox and Addington, ON
* MP Lee Richardson - Calgary Centre, AB
* MP Gerry Ritz - Battlefords - Lloydminster, SK
* MP Andrew Scheer - Regina - Qu'Appelle, SK
* MP Gary Schellenberger - Perth - Wellington, ON
* MP Bev Shipley - Lambton - Kent - Middlesex, ON
* MP Carol Skelton - Saskatoon - Rosetown - Biggar, SK
* MP Monty Solberg - Medicine Hat, AB
* MP Kevin Sorenson - Crowfoot, AB
* MP Bruce Stanton - Simcoe North, ON
* MP Brian Storseth - Westlock - St. Paul, AB
* MP Chuck Strahl - Chilliwack - Fraser Canyon, BC
* MP David Sweet - Ancaster - Dundas - Flamborough - Westdale, ON
* MP Greg Fancis Thompson - New Brunswick Southwest, NB
* MP Myron Thompson - Wild Rose, AB\
* MP David Tilson - Dufferin - Caledon, ON
* MP Vic Toews - Provencher, MB
* MP Bradley Trost - Saskatoon - Humboldt, SK
* MP Merv Tweed - Brandon—Souris, MB
* MP Dave Van Kesteren - Chatham-Kent - Essex, ON
* MP Peter Van Loan - York - Simcoe, ON
* MP Maurice Vellacott - Saskatoon - Wanuskewin, SK
* MP Josee Verner - Louis-Saint-Laurent, Que
* MP Mike Wallace - Burlington, ON
* MP Mark Warawa - Langley, BC
* MP Chris Warkentin - Peace River, AB
* MP Jeff Watson - Essex, ON
* MP John Williams - Edmonton - St. Albert, AB
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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!
Pro Patria
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Doug Clarkson
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Jim, Mike:
Thanks alot for the info!
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Cornwallis 78 - 79, 1 RCR 79 - 84, Cyprus 84 - 85, 1 RCR: 85 - 89, Cyprus 89 - 90, 1 RCR 90 - 92, Kingston 92 - 94, 1 RCR 94,
Croatia 94 - 95, 1 RCR: 95 - 97, 3 RCR 97 - 98, Bosnia 98 - 99, 3 RCR 99, CFJSR Kingston 99 - 04, DAT Kingston 04 - 07, Retired: 07, Class "B" BCWO Assistant CFB Kingston 07 - Present
UNFICYP 2, UNPROFOR, NATO Former Yugo, CFPSM, QGJM, CD1
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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So did I, Dave. I guess it is true.
Bullsheeet does baffle brains. ;-)
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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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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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The more average joes and josephines we can get this message to, these facts to, the more pressure will be brought to bear on each MP, who may ,then , not be able to vote as he/she is TOLD to by the PM..they do not even speak to the people without evry word being cleared by the PMs ofiice...and , too these MP s can be approached before Remembrance Day Ceremonies at their respective constituents, by a " large ' group of Veterans , " asking " why he/ she has voted as they did, and why they have attended Remembrance Day after doing so... it needs to be put to them directly by a body of like people, demanding answers....i do say thanks to Mr Stoffer, he seems to be the only one out there interested in being honest and forthright...ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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The government ignored it and, I believe, sent it back to committee in order to stall implementation.
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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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aldi
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To answer the Clarkson question, you can get a more complete explanation of the relationship between the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act (the military pension) and the Canada Pension Plan on the Canadian Guards Association website ( www.canadianguards.ca) where they've been following it for a long time and have aired all of the pertinent issues. Be warned, though, it might take you some time to find it and you'll have to go into the archoves. Essentially, when the CPP was launched in 1966 few of us paid much attention to it. I was in Cyprus at the time so I have an excuse. But, as I understand it -- and please don't accept this as gospel -- what happened was that up until that time there was no government pension for Canadians, like the US Social Security for example, so they launched the CPP for which every Canadian qualifies. The military services did have their own pensions and the decision was that they would be kept. Where the kerfuffle comes from is that the monthly contiributions to CPP were larger than those for the service pensions and the choice was to either bump up the deductions soldiers paid to that level or reduce their military pensions by the amount of the difference when they started collecting CPP at age 65. Our leaders at the time decided that since we were being paid so little it would be better to leave our deductions where they were and accept the reduction when we retired, based on assumption that we would likely be making more then and it wouldn't hurt so much. Turns out they were right because in 1967 our pay took a bit jump upwards. Where the hassle comes from now is that we've learned that no-one ever asked us if we wanted to pay the piper and get the "full" pension later or continue to contribute less and thus get less at the end. There has been all manner of to-ing and fro-ing and most of the correspondence is on the Guards site, but I expect that I'll find out exactly what it means next month when I turn 65. Personally, I would have preferred to take the harder hit every month in order to not suffer a drop in my pension, but nobody asked me. aldi |
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Doug Clarkson
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Thanks for the info Aldi.
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Cornwallis 78 - 79, 1 RCR 79 - 84, Cyprus 84 - 85, 1 RCR: 85 - 89, Cyprus 89 - 90, 1 RCR 90 - 92, Kingston 92 - 94, 1 RCR 94,
Croatia 94 - 95, 1 RCR: 95 - 97, 3 RCR 97 - 98, Bosnia 98 - 99, 3 RCR 99, CFJSR Kingston 99 - 04, DAT Kingston 04 - 07, Retired: 07, Class "B" BCWO Assistant CFB Kingston 07 - Present
UNFICYP 2, UNPROFOR, NATO Former Yugo, CFPSM, QGJM, CD1
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Doug Clarkson
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Last night while playing the last of the Pool League playoffs at the Army, Navy, Air Force Vetrans Club Martello Unit # 377 (a little plug for our club) I came across the below letter, read it, and decided that it would be a good thing to post on this thread. It was written by a retired MWO by the name of Donnie Cappler and it was sent to his MP out in BC, it is very well written and here it is copied: 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] eplain 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 250-714-0588 or e-mail djcappler@yahoo.ca. ......... The pupose 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 the 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 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 come 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 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 of 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 $1811.00x66%=$1195.00 a net loss of $211.00 per month, this many times is the differnce between living and existing, and often strips the "spouse" of their dignity, and financial independence. I would hate to see the mess this fine nation would be in if the treaty payments given to our First Nations people were to ever be diminished or welfare or sosial 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 Defence Staff that determine where the military serves, where they go, what they are to do, when they are to do it, these decisions are made by the members of parlaiment, 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 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 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 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 it's 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 floods 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 aid to civil power, lined the streets of Montreal during the FLQ crisis, and currently giving thir 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 occaisions, and as mentioned introduced a bill in 2006, and is about to reintroduce yet another private members 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 to their latest upgrades to the Vetrans Act, in 2007 it for sure was a step in the right direction, again my personal, thanks. Ironically in composing/writing this letter I learned of General Hillier'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 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 the improper and unjust act, even if it means a change in legislation. Respectively submitted; Donnie Cappler Sergeant Major Retired |
Cornwallis 78 - 79, 1 RCR 79 - 84, Cyprus 84 - 85, 1 RCR: 85 - 89, Cyprus 89 - 90, 1 RCR 90 - 92, Kingston 92 - 94, 1 RCR 94,
Croatia 94 - 95, 1 RCR: 95 - 97, 3 RCR 97 - 98, Bosnia 98 - 99, 3 RCR 99, CFJSR Kingston 99 - 04, DAT Kingston 04 - 07, Retired: 07, Class "B" BCWO Assistant CFB Kingston 07 - Present
UNFICYP 2, UNPROFOR, NATO Former Yugo, CFPSM, QGJM, CD1
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Doug Clarkson
Veteran 100+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 165
Pro Patria
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I don't know ranrad, I don't know if the general public is aware, hell I don't know even if half the politicians that should know, know about the unfairness. What I do know is that if we continue to try to inform everyone we know, military, ex-military, and civilians then maybe, just maybe we can get enough people to get behind us, show their support and get the injustices and unfairness changed by pressuring the MP's to pressure the ruling party to stop the Claw Back.
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Cornwallis 78 - 79, 1 RCR 79 - 84, Cyprus 84 - 85, 1 RCR: 85 - 89, Cyprus 89 - 90, 1 RCR 90 - 92, Kingston 92 - 94, 1 RCR 94,
Croatia 94 - 95, 1 RCR: 95 - 97, 3 RCR 97 - 98, Bosnia 98 - 99, 3 RCR 99, CFJSR Kingston 99 - 04, DAT Kingston 04 - 07, Retired: 07, Class "B" BCWO Assistant CFB Kingston 07 - Present
UNFICYP 2, UNPROFOR, NATO Former Yugo, CFPSM, QGJM, CD1
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