Category Archives: Defence
Explaining the numbers behind the backlog at Veterans Affairs Canada
OTTAWA — The exact size of the backlog of disability benefits applications with Veterans Affairs Canada is a matter of dispute. The government has long set a departmental target of processing 80 per cent of claims within 16 weeks. The clock
The most common medical conditions for which Canada’s veterans claim support
The following is a list of the most common medical conditions for which veterans are receiving federal benefits or support: All veterans 1. Hearing loss 2. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) 3. Post-traumatic stress disorder 4. Lumbar disc disease 5. Osteo...
The Backlog: Thousands of veterans with disabilities are waiting years for support
OTTAWA — Nearly a dozen years ago, Micheal McNeil was hit with an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. The former combat engineer, who is now a 40-year-old father of three in Saint John, N.B., has traded a fight with the
Desmond inquiry: health professionals failed to share information before killings
PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — A lack of collaboration among health-care professionals was an "overwhelming theme" in the tragic case of an ex-soldier from Nova Scotia who killed three family members and himself in 2017, a provincial fatality inquiry heard Th...
New defence minister says military sex misconduct cases will be handled by civilians
OTTAWA — In one of her first acts as Canada’s new defence minister, Anita Anand announced Thursday she had accepted a retired Supreme Court judge’s recent call to transfer the investigation and prosecution of military sexual misconduct cases to civilia...
Kabul safe houses for ex-interpreters to close for lack of funding
OTTAWA — Kabul safe houses that have been providing refuge to more than 1,700 Afghan interpreters and their families are to close Friday due to lack of funding, say groups that have been trying to help them. Veterans groups previously raised
Canada’s spy agency plans to offer ‘significant’ help assessing climate change threat
OTTAWA — A senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service official predicts the spy agency will make a "significant contribution" to understanding the threats posed by a warming planet as climate change accelerates. Tricia Geddes, deputy director for po...
Expert tells Lionel Desmond inquiry red flags for domestic violence were overlooked
PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — The tragic case of a former soldier in Nova Scotia who killed his family and himself in 2017 was predictable and preventable, a domestic violence expert told an inquiry Wednesday. Dr. Peter Jaffe, a psychologist at Western
Kabul safe houses need $5 million by Friday to stay open, say veterans
OTTAWA — As a Canadian Forces combat engineer in Afghanistan, Corey Shelson's life revolved around a series of life-and-death calculations — plotting the safe movement of his comrades around hidden roadside explosives and other threats. Today, Shelson...
PM says Indigenous talks may offer ‘solution’ so Canada can honour war dead
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is confident a "solution" will be reached to allow Canada to honour its war dead on Remembrance Day by lowering the flag to half-mast. Trudeau gave his strongest indication yet on Tuesday that
