How Julian Fantino Went From Star MP To Political Responsibility: 'He Didn't Hear Our Veterans' Pleas' (2023)

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Analysis

When Julian Fantino was elected to Parliament in November 2010, he was seen as a star. A former Toronto police chief and commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, the headstrong police chief had the credentials to shine in a conservative government that called itself tough on crime.

Four years later, the view is quite different.

When Auditor General Michael Ferguson released a critical report detailing the obstacles many veterans still face when trying to access mental health services, Fantino was an ocean away in Italy. His office defended the trip, which marked the 70th anniversary of Italy's World War II campaign. But some questioned whether Fantino was running away from the auditor's findings. Or worse, if Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to keep him out of sight.

Some see Fantino's performance in Veterans Affairs as spectacularly disastrous. Footage of a nasty exchange with veterans in January, where the minister questioned a soldier who pointed the finger before storming off, went viral. The same happened with the video of Mr. Fantino being chased down a hallway by a veterinarian's wife suffering from PTSD in May. Both incidents follow him to this day.

But those who worked with Fantino say these examples don't do him justice.

Four years after arriving in parliament, Fantino's political weaknesses have been exposed and the government is on the defensive when it comes to how it treats veterans. It may just be a matter of time before he is replaced.

On the surface, Fantino had the makings of an excellent minister of veterans' affairs. He headed two large police forces before being elected to Parliament. He performed well as Secretary of State for the Elderly shortly after arriving in Ottawa.

Former employees, veterans' groups and even opposition critics say he has genuine affection for veterans.

Perhaps this is not surprising. Fantino was born in Italy in 1942, when the country was under the rule of Benito Mussolini's Fascists. It wouldn't be until two years later that the Allied Forces, including thousands of Canadians, would liberate the country.

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NDP veteran affairs critic Peter Stoffer, born in the Netherlands, believes the experience was informative because "our fathers were liberated by Canadians".

Except most veterans seeking government assistance today are peacekeepers or former military personnel who served in Afghanistan. Some are still in their 20s. And they are not shy about expressing their anger about the barriers they face in getting support and services.

“Most veterans are not disabled or disadvantaged,” said former veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran. “The ones who are killing themselves are the ones who are very desperate and being abandoned.”

Fantino, as chief of police, showed little empathy for those - such as Aboriginal groups, gay activists and other subsections of society - who sought to air their grievances through public protest. While some described him as tough and level-headed, others saw him as polarizing, insensitive and indifferent.

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“He doesn't have time for political games, or what he thinks are political games,” said one former employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

[np_storybar title=”Julian Fantino apologizes to vets as Mulcair joins minister's resignation after 'unacceptable meeting'” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/28/veterans-group- calls-julian-fantinos-resignation-or-resignation-after-torry-minister-fails-to-meet-over-closures/”]

January 28, 2014: Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino blamed a conservative meeting that ran too long, apologizing for showing up "too late" for a scheduled meeting with former soldiers after the group called for his resignation.

Opposition leader Tom Mulcair, however, says Fantino's actions are disgraceful. He joined the former soldiers in demanding that Fantino resign or be fired after the minister abruptly canceled his meeting with the veterans, only to show up at the last minute and seemingly insult the group.

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“If there's a victim's family and he thinks you don't represent the group and you're doing this to embarrass me, he'll leave. And he doesn't give a damn what people think about it.

Mr. Fantino managed to boost some initiatives to help veterans. He released a revision of the New Veterans Charter, the system by which modern veterans receive benefits. He secured more money for funerals and burials. He advocated adding the Boer and Afghan War to the National War Memorial.

But he failed to address the most pressing complaints voiced by veterans, including changing the department's culture to make it more responsive to veterans' needs, which in turn contributed to recent public relations disasters. And when he is challenged in public, the results are not good.

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“What will live with him for the rest of his career is finger-pointing,” said an official at a Canadian veterans' organization. “It was a really bad day that literally overshadowed his tenure.”

The official says the incident and others have contributed to an atmosphere of distrust of the government among much of the veterans community.

Veterans Affairs was supposed to be a strength for the Conservative government, which had long styled itself as the most pro-military. It became a weakness under Fantino's watch. Sensing blood, opposition parties plan to make veterans an election issue next year.

“He's been absent since he became minister,” said Frank Valeriote, a senior liberal affairs critic. "He has not listened to our veterans' pleas."

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Recognizing the danger, the government brought in reinforcements: Retired General Walter Natynczyk, a former chief of the Defense Staff, became the department's top bureaucrat last month.

Widely respected, Natynczyk will be tasked with doing what Fantino couldn't: instill a new pro-veteran culture in the department; and offering a warm and compassionate face to Veterans Affairs. The nomination was met with praise.

"The Legion really hopes that Minister Fantino will listen carefully and follow the advice of his new Deputy Minister," said Royal Canadian Legion spokesman Scott Ferris.

However, even with Natynczyk's appointment, Fantino's time as Veterans Affairs minister may be running out. Critics say the prime minister cannot oust Fantino so close to an election as that would be seen as an admission of failure.

“If they do that, the government will admit they have bigger problems,” Stoffer said.

But the minister's office was shaken, with the departure of his chief of staff in recent weeks. Mr. Fantino made few public appearances. His parliamentary secretary, Parm Gill, is taking on a greater role at Question Time. The government has just months before an election in which its treatment of veterans - and Fantino's perceived role - could sway the outcome.

January 28, 2014:

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