[Hyack]

Canada treats vets like 'second-class citizens,' says ombudsman

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OTTAWA – Remembrance Day pronouncements by federal officials honouring Canada's veterans will ring hollow for outgoing ombudsman and retired colonel Pat Stogran.

As generations of decorated war heroes parade around Parliament Hill Thursday, government representatives will line up to pay tribute with a minute's silence and wreaths laid at the National War Memorial.

But in the shadows of these public shows of respect, Stogran insists hundreds of thousands of veterans from the Second World War, Korea and modern Canadian Forces missions are being treated like "second-class citizens" after serving their country.

"The elected government of the day has focused so much on damage control, spin doctoring and made all these wild announcements of huge amounts of money, and right now, it's phantom money," he told QMI Agency in his final interview as Canada's veterans' ombudsman.

Stogran has been careful to direct his criticism at the bureaucracy, believing it is the job of opposition parties and the public to hold elected officials accountable. But he said the Conservatives have known about the problems plaguing Veterans Affairs and failed to act, making them culpable for the current "scandalous" mess.

"As ombudsman, it wasn't my job to call b------- on the poor excuse for a reaction by the minister, but certainly once I'm a civilian, I would actively campaign against the elected officials because they've protected the system for so long, it's their baby," he said.


Stogran has made key recommendations for improvement, including legislated power for the ombudsman to get results without manipulation or interference. He believes the office was set up to avoid accountability for the "dismal" state of Veterans Affairs, especially after the backlash he got for going public with his concerns three months ago.

Stogran's three-year term was not renewed and he said there were many moves to discredit him.

"This was another one of those dominoes that indicated to me very clearly this office was set up as smoke and mirrors to deceive veterans into thinking there was someone who could actually going to be able to fix the system for them," he said.

Stogran's departure is bittersweet, and he has an overall sense of satisfaction.

"I'm leaving with my head held high, knowing that there's going to be change," he said. "There's no walking away from this. I could see a federal election being carved over this when the truth really gets out, and some of the lies that have been spun to cover tracks here are released to Canadians."

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