Exploring ways to be more welcoming to the wider community as well as serving members of the military and RCMP, veterans and their families was a recurring theme during Dominion Executive Council’s meeting at Legion House in Ottawa, Feb. 21- 23.

“We have to open our arms completely,” said Dominion President Gordon Moore. Many discussions explored ways the Legion’s 1,450 branches could provide space and programs to meet emerging needs of seniors and serving military members and veterans.

The Home Away Initiative encourages branches to have a gathering place for seniors, providing a change of scenery for seniors living at home and respite for seniors’ caregivers. It is part of the larger Seniors Initiative developed in response to such issues as restricted availability of long-term care, hard-to-come-by home-care assistance and the increasing incidence of dementia.

A workbook, including an interactive online tool, has been developed for branches that want to start or enhance their own seniors’ program. Kanata, Ont., Branch has agreed to host a pilot project. The workbook and results of the pilot project will be presented at dominion convention.

The dominion president reques-ted DEC members discuss with branches a suggestion from retired master corporal Paul Franklin, an Afghanistan veteran and double amputee, that they provide a free room or office where serving members and veterans and their families could meet.

“The local Legion then becomes the place for people to come when they need help,” says Franklin’s proposal. “The Legion gets the great benefit of having new blood come and see what the Legion is and what it stands for.” Having a branch service officer on hand to lend assistance would help familiarize these groups with Legion services, as well as help them access community services, added Moore.

Legion branches might also be used for local meetings between veterans and Veterans Affairs Canada counsellors or case managers in areas affected by closure of VAC district offices. Grand President Larry Murray said this would give the Legion an opportunity “to see that Veterans Affairs Canada delivers on its commitment” that case managers will continue to meet with veterans after the closure of district offices across the country.

Services to veterans were of chief concern, as reflected in three dozen resolutions carried by DEC for consideration at dominion convention. Among them are resolutions calling for priority access to health care to veterans and their families; providing tax credits to employers that hire veterans; changes to the New Veterans Charter to improve financial support for all veterans, including reservists; that VIP benefits be extended to all frail veterans and granted to surviving spouses according to need, rather than the current complex eligibility criteria; that veterans and their families have the same access to a dental services plan as civil servants.

Dominion Command service officers have seen a significant increase in first applications for VAC benefits, and expect the numbers to remain high as outreach and interactive Internet tools are introduced, said Moore in the Veterans, Service and Seniors Committee report. Serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces accounted for 26 per cent of claims, while 71 per cent came from veterans; of those, only 30 per cent were veterans of the Second World War and Korean War. Provincial command presidents also reported that their service officers are carrying a heavier load.

A large portion of debate was also devoted to membership issues. “There is now a sense of
urgency,” to building membership, said Murray. A healthy membership of between 300,000 and 400,000 is needed if the Legion is to remain vigorous, he said.

Demographics are the driving force—in 2013, 28 per cent of the Legion’s 320,193 members were over the age of 75; just 41,000 were below the age of 50. In the last decade more than 80,000 members have passed away. Retention and recruitment continue to be important. In 2013, 28,665 members did not renew and 7,472 passed away; 23,403 were recruited.

The renewal reminder program resulted in 16,046 renewals in 2013 and new initiatives are beginning to bring in members, reported Membership Committee Chairman Peter Piper. Direct-mail campaigns brought in 2,148 members; online ads, 144; the inaugural One-By-One campaign, at least 1,990; and online membership, 138.

The Membership Committee through DEC will bring ideas to be discussed at the dominion convention, based on feedback received from provincial conventions.

Also approved was a resolution allowing online application and renewal of membership. During discussion it was made clear branches will retain the right to accept or reject applicants and that electronic applicants are directed to local branches as quickly as possible.

And finally, lapsed members will be able to buy back years of service if convention delegates
concur with a resolution passed by DEC.

The decrease in membership affects every aspect of Legion operations, from supply department sales to participating in members’ sports. Dominion Secretary Brad White reported supply department sales declined seven per cent to $1,728,019 in 2013, but are trending up due to new products incorporating the new poppy branding.

A deficit of $543,752 was posted for 2013; it would have been $783,752, but the blow was blunted by receipt of an estate bequest of $240,000, reported Treasurer Mike Cook. As a result, $418,000 less was drawn from the Per Capita Reserve to fund 2013 operations, leaving $3,158,970 in the Reserve for future use.

Departments and committees have tightened belts and have mostly come in under budget,
Cook reported. An operating deficit of $1,164,415 is projected for 2014, which will further deplete the Per Capita Reserve Fund.

Convention delegates will be asked to consider a proposal for a Per Capita Tax increase “in order to continue to fund our programs at the level they are now,” Cook said. The last per capita increase was in 2007.

In other business, DEC heard a report from Colonel Scott McLeod, the director of Mental Health for the Canadian Armed Forces, discussing mental health services and the cluster of suicides that have been in the news lately (Editorial, March/April).

“One in five Canadians will suffer with a mental illness in their lifetime. Most of us will be affected in some way,” he said. “The Canadian Armed Forces are no different.”

McLeod said the vast majority of suicides are the result of a serious health issue. The military carries out a review of all suicides in the Canadian Armed Forces and reports within 30 days. In many ways, these reviews are therapeutic for the families involved because they get to talk about what was happening before the individual committed suicide.

An internal review of recent suicides found that mental health care in the CAF was generally excellent but focus needs to be on access, quality of care and education.

Also Heard At DEC

The following news was also presented at the Feb. 21-23 meeting of Dominion Executive Council.

• DEC will recommend to dominion convention that the definition of veteran be updated to include the RCMP. The definition would then read: “A veteran is any person who is serving or who has honourably served in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Commonwealth or its wartime allies or as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; or who has served in the merchant navy or Ferry Command during wartime.”
• Dominion convention delegates will have the opportunity to attend workshops on membership; veterans service and seniors; poppy; and outreach on Saturday, June 14.
• Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova Scotia/Nunavut commands have submitted $10,000 grant requests to Dominion Command to support establishment of a homeless veterans program.
• A motion was defeated that called for review by the Dominion Command Poppy and Remembrance Committee of all provincial command poppy fund special use expenditures over $50,000.
• Ste-Thérèse, Que., will host the 2015 and 2016 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships.
• Corby’s Distilleries has agreed to a two-year sponsorship of $25,000 a year for the Dominion Command Darts Championships.
• Dominion Command negotiated a deal for surplus federal government computers. Six commands have taken advantage of the offer of free computers for branches.
• In light of provincial commands’ concerns about dwindling revenue from supply department sales profit, Dominion Command will review the agreement.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Command donated $17,650 to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League.