PETER WORTHINGTON

August 28, 2010

Another indication of the government’s fading interest in the welfare of veterans, now that we are committed to pulling out of Afghanistan by next July, is Jean-Pierre Blackburn as minister of veterans affairs.

His reaction to the firing of retired Col. Pat Stogran as veterans ombudsman was weak to insipid.

“I salute his contribution,” said Blackburn, adding that a new ombudsman would bring new ideas, and that Stogran wasn’t fired: “We think after three years a new person will give new suggestions.” Where on earth did Prime Minister Harper find this guy? And why was he put in veterans affairs to go along with his other job as minister of state for agriculture?

Of all the criticisms of Stogran as ombudsman, lack of new ideas simply doesn’t resonate.

He was and is, loaded with ideas, and was determined to the job “impartially, at arms-length, and independently” as the government outlined in its initial mandate.

The trouble was he was too dedicated.

Stogran is neither the first nor last to be canned for doing his job too well — unlike his soon-to-be erstwhile boss, the minister.

There’ve been 13 veterans affairs ministers in the past 20 years.

Arguably, the worst of them have been the two appointed by Harper — first Greg Thompson, who lasted four years, and now Blackburn, who has nothing substantial in his background to justify him being responsible for the welfare of veterans.

Born in 1948, he’s served in the Harper government as minister of labour and housing and then as minister of national revenue before being appointed minister of veterans affairs last January.

At the end of the Mulroney government in 1993 Blackburn was parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence.

He was out of Parliament during the Liberal years of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, returning in 2006 to be elected in the Quebec riding of Jonquire-Alma.

Had Blackburn shown as much passion on behalf of veterans as he did when Ottawa airport security confiscated his bottle of tequila before boarding a flight, it’s possible Stogran might have been re-appointed.

It would have short-circuited the outrage being felt by many veterans today.

Regardless, a weak minister is a reflection of the prime minister’s priorities.

In a letter to the National Post(itls), retired navy veteran Bob Orrick said that based on his seven years as assistant to a B.C. cabinet minister, it seems to him that Blackburn “is a weak minister who is incapable of butting heads with strong bureaucrats ... (and) did not, and does not, have the backbone to stand up for veterans as is his mandate.”

As for what the PM should do, he felt anything less than firing the minister and re-appointing Stogran “is to spit in the face of all veterans.” For three years Orrick was national public information officer of the Korean Veterans Association of Canada.

As it is, the federal Tories seem to be closing ranks. In a letter, Transport Minister Chuck Strahl advances the myth that Stogran was appointed ombudsman “for a three-year, non-renewable term,” and in November “it will be time for someone to come forward with new ideas and a new approach.”

When you think about it, this is rubbish. It is justifying after the fact, and is what Veterans Minister Blackburn mindlessly recites.

Three years is barely enough time to learn the ropes.

Liberal veterans affairs critic Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West), put it succinctly and not inaccurately: “Here we go again. The Conservatives punting an expert who doesn’t tell them what they want to hear.”

He noted that as ombudsman, Stogran “gained huge respect among traditional and new veterans, but wasn’t given independence. He was only able to offer advice to the minister who refuses to listen.” I’d argue the minister in question has neither ideas nor interest in veterans, but simply does what he’s told.

He’ll likely be gone within a year, as the government tries to regain ground with a more personable minister, implying that Mr. Blackburn carries the can for perceived failings and inadequacies.

Meanwhile Pat Stogran will be in another career.