For Immediate Release February 15, 2012 OTTAWA–
Liberal Veterans Affairs critic Sean Casey made the following statement today about Conservative secrecy at the Veterans Affairs committee:
“Yesterday, I presented a motion to the House of Commons Veterans Affairs committee to hold public hearings into the deliberate invasion by this government into our veterans’ privacy.
The Conservatives have been repeatedly caught sifting and snooping through the personal records of veterans for no other reason than to threaten, intimidate and send the message that they had better stop criticizing the government.
The latest victim of the dirty tricks operation is Mr. Harold Leduc, a veteran who served over 20 years in our military and is now a member of the Veterans Appeal Board.
The Harper government promised last year to cease snooping into the personal medical files of our veterans after they were again caught rummaging through the medical records of outspoken advocates Denis Manuge and Sylvain Chartrand. They broke that promise.
The Conservatives forced the Veterans Affairs committee in-camera to debate my motion in secret. The minutes of the committee meeting do not show that my motion passed. My motion is no longer on notice at the committee.
I invite Canadians to draw their own conclusions as to whether this is a cover-up.
What is troubling is the across-the-board effort on the part of this Conservative government to snuff out debate, dissent and any form of opposition. Canadians deserve to hear what is going on when the Conservatives force committees to operate behind closed doors. Rest assured that Liberals will continue to fight for veterans, regardless of attempts by the Harper Conservatives to hide the truth from Canadians.”
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Contact: Press Office Office of the Liberal Leader 613-947-5100
Pour diffusion immédiate Le 15 février 2012 OTTAWA–
Le porte-parole libéral responsable des anciens combattants, Sean Casey, a fait la déclaration suivante aujourd’hui au sujet du mystère conservateur au Comité des anciens combattants :
“Hier, j’ai présenté une motion au Comité des anciens combattants de la Chambre des communes visant à tenir des audiences publiques sur l’invasion délibérée de ce gouvernement dans la vie privée des anciens combattants.
À maintes reprises, les conservateurs ont été surpris à fouiller et fouiner dans les dossiers personnels des anciens combattants dans le seul but de les menacer, les intimider et leur envoyer le message qu’ils feraient mieux d’arrêter de critiquer le gouvernement.
La dernière victime de leurs manigances est M. Harold Leduc, un ancien combattant qui a servi pendant plus de 20 ans dans notre force militaire et qui est maintenant membre du Tribunal des anciens combattants.
L’année dernière, le gouvernement Harper avait promis de cesser de fouiner dans les dossiers médicaux personnels de nos anciens combattants après avoir été pris la main dans le sac, encore une fois, avec les dossiers médicaux des défenseurs éloquents Denis Manuge et Sylvain Chartrand. Ils ont brisé cette promesse.
Les conservateurs ont forcé le Comité des anciens combattants à débattre ma motion à huis clos. Le procès verbal de la réunion du comité n’indique pas que la motion a été adoptée. Ma motion n’est plus inscrite au Feuilleton du comité.
J’invite donc les Canadiens à tirer leur propre conclusion à savoir si c’est une opération de traîtrise.
Ce qui est troublant, c’est que ce gouvernement multiplie les efforts d’une action globale visant à museler les débats, les opinions dissidentes et toute forme d’opposition. Les Canadiens méritent d’entendre ce qui se passe lorsque les conservateurs forcent les comités à travailler à huis clos. Soyez assuré que les libéraux continueront de défendre les anciens combattants, peu importe les tentatives des conservateurs de Harper pour dissimuler la vérité aux Canadiens.”
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Veterans Committee Cover Up
Sean Casey | February 15 2012
In November of last year, two veterans’ advocates, Dennis Manuge and Sylvain Chartrand, went public with proof that political staff within the office of the Minister of Veteran’s Affairs accessed their medical records.
They argued that there was no good reason for the Minister’s political operatives to be accessing veteran’s medical records, except to intimidate and silence them.
I gave notice to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs that I intended to bring forward a motion to hold public hearings into the privacy breaches.
The Conservative Members refused to entertain my motion at that time.
Last week, Harold Leduc, a veteran who serves as a member of the Veteran’s Review and Appeal Board, raised complaints over harassment and unauthorized use of his medical records.
I then asked the Minister if he supported public hearings into these privacy breaches in Question Period.
He dodged my question.
Yesterday, I presented my orginal motion to have a public hearing, which was initially sent to the Committee Chair in November of last year. I did so in public, in front of the witnesses who appeared to present to the Committee on an unrelated study. One of these witnesses, a DVA employee, was before the committee for the third time in connection with this study.
The Conservatives were not at all impressed that I presented my motion in public and in front of witnesses. They immediately moved the committee “in camera”, meaning they used their majority to discuss my motion in secret. They remained true to their firm belief that discussion between MP’s on the priorities of the Committee and the priorities of the Government are NOT for public consumption. They demand that their opinion only be expressed in SECRET.
The motion to hold another secret meeting was presented by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs was supported by the Tories but opposed by the NDP and me. Unfortunately, the Conservatives were successful in moving the meeting into secret.
I am forbidden to divulge what took place in the secret meeting. My motion to hold public meetings is no longer on notice at the committee. I invite Canadians to draw their own conclusions as to whether this is a cover up.
I am troubled, and I think Canadians should be concerned, that the Conservatives zealously protect the secrecy of the opinions of their MPs in committee, but not the medical records of veteran’s advocates.
As they advance legislation to expand police powers for warrantless searches of electronic records, the paradox is more pronounced.
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Liberals Call for Public Hearings into Breach of Privacy at Veterans Affairs
For Immediate Release
November 21, 2011
Liberals Call for Public Hearings into Breach of Privacy at Veterans Affairs
OTTAWA – Liberals introduced a motion in the House of Commons Committee on Veteran Affairs today calling for public hearings to strengthen the privacy protection of medical records and other personal information belonging to Canadian veterans.
“Conservative henchmen are trying to bully and intimidate veterans to shut up and stop criticizing the Harper government,” said Liberal Veterans Affairs Critic Sean Casey. “When a veteran speaks up for his or her rights, a right they fought for, the Conservatives start digging through their personal records, including their medical records. This bullying, intimidation and abuse of power must end.”
Veterans are crying foul over recent revelations that Conservative political operatives were caught prying into the personal and medical records of at least one veteran. Liberals are calling for open, transparent and public hearings into this matter in order to hear from veterans, including Dennis Manuge, as well as officials like the Privacy Commissioner.
“We sincerely hope that the Conservatives don’t shut down these public hearings again by holding a secret meeting to kill our motion,” said Mr. Casey. “Our brave veterans served this country with distinction and they deserve honesty and accountability from this government.”
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Background:
The full text of Mr. Casey’s motion is as follows:
That, in light of alleged recent breaches of privacy in which political staff from the office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs may have repeatedly accessed the personal records of at least one veteran, the Standing Committee on Veteran Affairs conduct extensive open and public hearings in order to better understand what safeguards currently exist to protect the privacy of veterans; That the Committee provide recommendations to the government to better protect the privacy of our veterans and ensure access to personal or medical records is properly restricted to prevent their use for political purposes or accessed by political officials to intimidate veterans; That the Committee be tasked with finding what “best practices” exists in other jurisdictions to protect the privacy of veteran and that the Committee report its findings back to the House within two sitting weeks after completion of its study.
Contact:
Office of Sean Casey, MP
613-994-4714
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