Feds being called on to help Veterans during ongoing strike
Posted April 27, 2023 4:18 pm.
Last Updated April 28, 2023 6:37 pm.
A Winnipeg-based Veteran is calling on the Federal Government to do more to serve those who served our country, as members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada continue to strike.
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) has suspended numerous services as a result of the labour action, and while benefits and compensation are continuing, in-person appointments, career-transition services and other critical arms of the VAC are listed as “partially or fully disrupted.”
“Everybody has a stress cup I call it. Well, veterans, the cup fills quicker,” said Doug Tizya, Canadian Armed Forces Veteran. “There’s guys out there who are suffering right now, because they don’t know how to navigate this system.”
Serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and sustaining an injury in combat, Tizya says more services need to be offered by VAC through the strike.
He stressed veterans need in-person and expedient support – job action or not.
“When you’re in the midst of battling depression and anxiety, you need as much support and empathy as possible, because if you hear a ‘no’ right away, and you’re in that state, you’re like: ‘Why do I even try.’”
A member of Veterans Alliance of Canada, he says he has a good support network around him, but much of it has come from his fellow veterans and the Legion, but stresses when veterans reach out to help from the government a real person has to be there to make sure they can access the services they’re entitled to.
A list of the partially or fully disrupted services as indicated by the VAC website, but officials say the VAC is still working to help those with the most urgent needs.
RELATED:
- Federal public service strike enters ninth day, no sign of back-to-work legislation
- Striking federal workers want Trudeau to step in on negotiations
- Why the federal worker strike will test Canada’s economy and labour market
But not all veterans are as lucky and rely on in-person government services.
“You’re trying to plead your case and you can’t do it over the phone. What do I have to sit there and cry and tell you ‘I’m going to kill myself before I can get help?’ No. Why does it have to get to that point?” ask Tizya.
The VAC says it is still supporting vets through the strike and says so far, only one VAC appointment has been cancelled in Manitoba, stressing if vets need help, they should still reach out.
“Our hope of course is that the labour disruption does not last too long, we want to be able to provide our full-range of services when and where they need them, at the moment, we’re focused on our most critical services,” said Steven Harris, assistant deputy minister and service delivery with Veteran Affairs Canada.
Steven Harris, Veterans Affairs Canada Assistant Deputy Minister of Service Delivery, says while some services have been affected as a result of the strike, VAC is still working to support Canada’s former military. (Screenshot/Zoom)
Harris says disruptions across Canada have varied depending on the presence of picketers, noting while VAC is requesting vets now make appointments for in-person support – as opposed to a walk-in – vets looking for help will get it.
“We’re all respecting the collective bargaining process, we all hope that it comes to an end soon. In the meantime, I do want to make sure, and I do want to reassure our veteran population, that if they need something, they should come forward to us, they should make that request, it may take us a little more time as we triage through the most urgent and critical needs, but we will get back to you and we will make sure you get the support that you need.”
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Legion says it has yet to encounter any related issues to date, but says it’s watching the situation closely and is ready to help veterans in need.
