Should Canada’s younger veterans, including those who served in such hotspots as Bosnia, Rwanda, Cyprus and Afghanistan, be guaranteed priority access to long-term care beds? Some say it is the least we can do for those who put their lives on the line for Canada.
It was a bright and sunny afternoon on May 7, when Chief of Defence Staff General Tom Lawson rounded the corner onto Aird Place in Kanata, following just behind the last Canadian flag to fly in Afghanistan as the Soldier On Afghanistan relay team arrived at Dominion Command’s Legion House.
Canada’s longest military engagement was recognized May 9 with a Day of Honour on Parliament Hill and in smaller ceremonies across Canada.
Canada’s population was approximately eight million when the war began in August 1914. The Dominion was 47 years old and like a lot of other nations it was not ready for war, even though its militia was large.
August 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of a terrible conflict whose effects remain with us today. It is ironic that the century preceding the outbreak of war in 1914 was one of most peaceful in world history and in that year many people—particularly Canadians—believed that the 20th century would be a time of peace, plenty and progress.
Instead, it was one of the most violent periods in recorded history: a time when the world went over the edge.
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is responsible for the care and well being of qualified veterans accommodated in long-term care (LTC) facilities across Canada. Priority access beds and contract beds number approximately 3,500 in 171 different sites, and approximately another 6,000 veterans are accommodated in over 1,900 community facilities.
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An informative primer on Canada’s crucial role in the Normandy landing, June 6, 1944.
