The caseworker who coached suffering military veterans to consider assisted suicide needs serious help..Only someone with a twisted mind and vacuous heart could think it was her job to discuss, never mind volunteer, the option of death instead of treatment to vulnerable people fighting to survive. She was their lifeline to help. By bringing up assisted suicide as a solution to physical injuries and PTSD, she essentially told them their lives, their service to this country, their dire needs, the families they’d leave behind, didn’t count for much..This disgrace — yes, she made a disgraceful suggestion — for whatever motive thought it was OK to play a god role. And for a long time, at least since 2019. Nobody within Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) overheard her sinister conversations? Well, nobody did anything until after it was exposed by a Global News report that led to an investigation that outed her..When it comes to her turn, would she appreciate someone on the phone pushing suicide is her best option? Or would she expect better consideration, more compassion, than she offered those she counselled?.She deserves a punishment more severe than the mere suspension she got. Hopefully that’ll come..Veterans Affairs Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay told members of the House of Commons veterans affairs committee Thursday that the case had been turned over the RCMP after an internal investigation determined this one caseworker offered four veterans Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)..He condemned the caseworker’s behaviour and apologized to the veterans. “I am sorry you had to endure these appalling interactions, and we're doing everything we can to ensure this never happens again,” he said reading methodically from a prepared statement..“We remain confident that this is all related to one single employee, and it's not a widespread or a systemic issue.”.But it begs the question, why did this caseworker feel so free to treat vets in such a horrific manner? Did the Trudeau Liberal’s zeal for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), or personal beliefs, embolden her?.“We expect all Veterans Affairs candidate employees to interact with veterans with care, compassion and respect and the actions of this one employee is simply disgusting,” said MacAulay..Expecting and delivering are two vastly different things..MacAulay may have been surprised to learn this was going on in the department he heads, but military personnel weren’t. It’s but another symptom of the shabby, substandard treatment they endure with wait times and excuses for why they don’t get the assistance they’ve earned. They can be forgiven for being angry and cynical..“That sure makes your workload diminished if you can convince someone to tell them to kill themselves,” said a retired officer who has dealt with soldiers with mental wounds. “Just because MAiD it legal doesn’t mean it’s right. This is an obvious case of abuse of people who have given their lives to the country. It’s kicking someone when they’re down.”.Canada must treat its veterans better, retired Lt.-Gen. Michel Maisonneuve said when he received the top defence Vimy Award, which recognizes a lifetime of service, in Ottawa November 9..“The military — being in the service of one’s country — used to be a highly regarded profession. Today, I see a military woefully underfunded, undermanned, and under-appreciated…The idea of serving in our armed forces is getting little traction..Could it be because the moral contrast under which our military serve is broken?”.That, and several other sharp points Maisonneuve delivered got him a standing ovation — and an ongoing backlash from those who resent honesty, like things just the way they are, and prefer to sweep military problems under the mat..But MacAulay did order Deputy Minister Paul Ledwell to conduct an internal investigation following the report last summer about a veteran, suffering PTSD and traumatic brain injury who claimed to have been pressured by a caseworketo consider assisted suicide..The committee heard that one of the four veterans coached has passed away — after going ahead with medically assisted suicide. MacAulay also assured the Committee that the reason for management’s alleged ignorance of this caseworker’s MAiD coaching would be investigated..He told the committee this wasn’t a “widespread” issue, claiming VAC “looked through hundreds of thousands of files from all frontline staff.”.But then that day the National Post reported a fifth possible case involving a military member who was offered unsolicited advice on MAiD by a caseworker. It’s unknown if this was also the work of the already identified black widow, or someone else..If VAC did indeed look through hundreds of thousands of files, that’s impressive. VAC hasn’t managed to whittle down tens of thousands of backlogged cases of veterans waiting years to have their disability claims processed..No matter how sincere MacAulay’s apology to veterans coached about MAiD was, no matter how genuinely “disgusted” he might be — his handwringing about poor treatment of veterans doesn’t carry much weight..Former infantryman Brock Blaszczyk is only one of thousands of veterans always trying to claw their way through the inept VAC system. And he’s been doing that since 2010, when five months into his mission in Afghanistan, the then 20-year-old stepped on an improvised-explosive device (IED). His left leg was partially amputated. His right foot suffered severe tissue damage..He’s also the vet who stood up to Trudeau at a town hall meeting in 2018 asking why disabled vets had to face a court battle with the federal government for pension funding..Said Trudeau perched on his stool: “Because they’re asking for more than we’re able to give right now.”.“This MAiD thing, what a disaster. I’ve been keeping track this for a couple of months now,” said Blaszcyzk Friday..“It’s complete mismanagement. That’s what it is. It’s mismanagement from Veterans Affairs and the head office in Charlottetown of the Veterans Affairs directors. They’re completely incompetent as far as I’m concerned.”.“Maybe the worker misjudged a memo that came down. But it’s not surprising because Veterans Affairs is notorious for (poorly) training their frontline workers.”.He doesn’t expect much to come of what is a horrific scandal..“Nobody cares. You want the honest opinion from a combat veteran’s point of view? I’m so disillusioned. I see Canada as the most ungrateful country when it comes to their veterans. People say they care. But nobody’s making a big fuss about this besides a few reporters.”.“You don’t see people protesting about how veterans are treated. Especially during Afghanistan, you had everybody in Canada rolling around with support the troops ribbons. Now that the war is over there seems to be zero support not only from the government but from the Canadian public as well. And they know how bad we’re treated.”
