AFP Newsletter - Summer 2020 ENGLISH

Issue #35 • Summer 2020 Armed Forces Pensioners’ / Annuitants’ Association of Canada 3 See Ombudsman on page 4 New book by military scholar J.L. Granatstein due out in September A forthcoming book by noted Canadi- an historian J.L. Granatstein will enrich our understanding of the impacts of the two world wars on Canada and Canadians. Canada at War: Conscription, Di- plomacy and Politics will be published in September 2020, by the University of Toronto Press. Using research from archives in Canada and abroad, this collection of Granastein’s previously-published essays serves to illuminate Canada’s political transition from the British to Ameri- can sphere of influence throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The book examines the impact of both world wars on Canada and Canadians through analyses of such factors as conscription, foreign policy and politics. Appropriate to the era un- der scrutiny, William Lyon Macken- zie King, Canada’s longest-serving prime minister, acts as the book’s central figure. By reflecting on the most significant issues affecting Ca- nadians during the wars, the book shows how this period ushered change into the Canadian landscape and transformed Canada into the country that it is today. A Canadian military veteran, Granatstein is a well-known edu- cator, scholar and author. He has published scores of books and pamphlets on 20th and 21st Cen- tury Canadian national history, including the military, defence and foreign policy, Canadian-American relations, the public service and politics. O n May 11, 2020, Craig Dalton, the Veterans Ombudsman, announced he would be leav- ing the position he assumed just 18 months ago. May 11, 2020. Citing a desire to pursue other career op- portunities, he expressed his grat- itude for the opportunity to have met and engaged with veterans and their families across Canada, while also collaborating with a number of excellent veterans’ organizations. “I have also very much appreciat- ed the advice and counsel I have re- ceived from a number of individual veterans, family members, passion- ate researchers and Veterans advo- cates whose voices, thoughts and ideas have shaped the work of our office,” said Dalton. “I would espe- cially like to acknowledge and thank the committed members of the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman Advisory Council for the excellent advice they have given me and for the continued support I know they will provide to the Office.” The third Ombudsman to hold the position since it was created in 2007, Dalton’s departure comes at a critical point as it leaves veterans without a key advocate at a time when many are anxious about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts of their requests for assistance from the federal gov- ernment. Veterans Affairs Canada has been struggling to address a backlog of 44,000 applications for assistance from disabled veterans and there are fears the backlog is growing because of the pandemic. Concurrent with Dalton’s an- nouncement, the Minister of Veter- ans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lawrence Ma- cAulay, issued a statement thanking the Veterans Ombudsman for his dedication to Canada’s veterans and their families. “As a Veteran with more than 25 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, Mr. Dalton demonstrated excep- tional leadership and showed care, compassion, and respect for our Veterans and their families,” said MacAulay. “He will continue to be a respected voice within the Veteran community, and I am very grateful for his lifetime of service.” Dalton drew attention to his office and its role in 2019 when he published the annual report card which assesses the government’s progress towards improving ser- vices and support for veterans and their families. The report noted that 50 of the office of the ombudsman’s 63 recommendations made between 2009 and 2019 had been imple- mented, however little progress had been made on addressing 13 key recommendations related to health care supports and service delivery. After releasing the report card, Dalton said he was concerned that his office had lost the trust of some segments of the veteran community and asked the government to review the position’s roles and responsi- bilities, with the possibility that the Veterans Ombudsman might have a broader mandate and report inde- Veterans Ombudsman makes an unexpected departure