City council is standing behind local veterans in their push to have a dedicated federal office reopened.
During Monday's night's meeting, council responded to a request from Royal Canadian Legion branch No. 43 service officer John Scott to "appeal to Veterans Affairs and to our local MPs to do the right thing and reopen the office in Prince George."
The local Veterans Affairs office was closed in 2012 as part of a federal government cost-cutting measure. The P.G. office looked after all veterans north of Williams Lake, said Scott, and those who need assistance are expected to conduct that business through Service Canada offices.
Branch president Bruce Gabriel maintains it was busy enough to keep open.
The Service Canada office on Fourth Avenue downtown is now the contact point for veterans seeking help from the federal government, which Gabriel said is not good enough.
"We may never get an office back, I don't know, but we've got to get some better treatment for our veterans," Gabriel said.
"At first glance, the Service Canada concept looks appealing to the general public. However, how many of them have a qualified Veterans Affairs counsellor there? None that I'm aware of," said Scott. "And they may have taken a couple of course, but it takes many years of experience to be able to confidently deal with veterans' issues."
Scott highlighted the benefits of in-person communication, citing the recent local election.
"There's no substitute for one-on-one, face to face service. This council has just gone through the election process so you know that you've had countless meetings and face to face discussions with individuals to get your point across," said Scott. "Yet our veterans must rely on phone calls or computers or forms often with subtle questionnaires..."
A letter will be drafted to council's federal counterparts as well as the activation of the Community Covenant approved last summer to address issues.
Veterans Affairs Canada defines a Community Covenant as "an agreement within a community, defined by the community, to support Canada's veterans and their families, in a manner specified within the Covenant document."
It's important that any letter sent out is strongly worded, said members of council.
Correspondence from the previous mayor wasn't strong enough, said Coun. Brian Skakun, who called current treatment of veterans "inexcusable." The letter also needs to be the start of a co-ordinated effort with other Legions, he said.
"It's important we hold the federal government's feet to the fire," said Coun. Murry Krause.
The federal government's decision was short-sighted, said Coun. Terri McConnachie. "Council has the appetite to stand up for those who have stood up for us," she said.
The presentation and decision comes on the heels of news out of Ottawa that Julian Fantino had been removed as Veterans Affairs Minister.
Gabriel welcomed the federal government's decision to replace the controversial Fantino.
"I'm glad he's gone because he didn't care," Gabriel said.
That the new minister, Erin O'Toole, a southern Ontario MP, is a former member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, "is a good start," Gabriel said.
"At least we have someone in there now that at least, hopefully, has an understanding of where veterans are coming from," Gabriel said.
Coun. Susan Scott, a member of the legion and the daughter of two veterans, said it was a move that was long overdue.
