Ni perdón ni olvido! “Son los gritos de dolor y la angustia de nuestros
hijos"
Finalmente uno de los peores represores canadienses dejará el cargo de Ministro de Asuntos
de Veteranos. El señor Julián Fantino, como jefe de la policía de Toronto, se caracterizó por su ferocidad
de crear pánico en los residentes en las viviendas públicas, ordenando el secuestro y tortura de niños, criminalizando a las personas de las
comunidades minoritarias, por la persecución y la tortura de activistas sociales. Este ex jefe de la
policía de Toronto podría ser comparado con el represor latinoamericano de la talla de Manuel
Contreras de Chile, (Dina) Ni perdón ni olvido! “Son los gritos de dolor y la
angustia de nuestros hijos"
NATIONAL
POST: Fantino nació en Italia en 1942, cuando el país estaba bajo el yugo de los
fascistas de Benito Mussolini. No sería sino hasta
dos años después de que las fuerzas aliadas, incluyendo miles de
canadienses, habría liberar al
país.
How Julian Fantino went from star MP to political
liability: ‘He has not heard the pleas of our veterans’
Peter J. Thompson/National Post)Prime Minister Stephen
Harper, left, shakes hands with Conservative MP Julian Fantino on April 7,
2011. (Photo by Peter J. Thompson/National Post) (For Story by /National
Post/National) //NATIONAL POST STAFF PHOTO
Analysis
When
Julian Fantino was elected to Parliament in November 2010, he was seen as a
star. A former Toronto police chief and Ontario Provincial Police commissioner,
the hard-nosed police boss had the credentials to shine in a Conservative
government that billed itself as tough on crime.
Four years later, the view is very different. When
auditor general Michael Ferguson released a critical report detailing the
hurdles many veterans still face trying to access mental health services, Mr.
Fantino was an ocean away in Italy. His office defended the trip, which marked
the 70th anniversary of the Second World War’s Italian campaign. But some
questioned whether Mr. Fantino was running from the auditor’s findings. Or
worse, whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper had decided to keep him out of
sight.
Some see Mr. Fantino’s performance at Veterans Affairs as spectacularly
disastrous. Footage of a nasty exchange with veterans in January, where the minister
took issue with a finger-jabbing soldier before storming out, went viral. So
did video of Mr. Fantino being chased down a hallway by the wife of a vet
suffering from PTSD in May. Both incidents shadow him to this day.
CNW Group/Veterans Affairs CanadaThe Honourable Julian
Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, wishes safe travels to Veterans who are
part of an official Government of Canada delegation to Italy to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Italian Campaign. But
those who have worked with Mr. Fantino say those examples don’t do him justice. Four
years after arriving in Parliament, Mr. Fantino’s political weaknesses have
been exposed and the government is on the defensive when it comes to its
treatment of veterans. It could be only a matter of time until he is replaced.
On
the surface, Mr. Fantino had the hallmarks of an outstanding veterans affairs
minister. He ran two large police forces before being elected to Parliament. He
performed well as secretary of state for seniors shortly after arriving in
Ottawa.
Former staff, veterans groups and even opposition critics say he
harbours a genuine affection for veterans.
Related
- Julian Fantino hits back at critics, says $1.1-billion in lapsed funding for veterans ‘not lost money’
- Feds to spend $200-million on boosting mental health support for soldiers — but veterans’ group says it’s ‘not enough’
- Julian Fantino tries to repair fractured relationships with some veterans groups, but not all of them
- ttawa to overhaul veterans’ benefits again after angry ex-soldiers vowed to campaign against Tories
Perhaps that is not surprising. Mr.
Fantino was born in Italy in 1942, when the country was under the heel of
Benito Mussolini’s fascists. It wouldn’t be until two years later that Allied
Forces, including thousands of Canadians, would free the country. NDP
veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer, born in the Netherlands, believes the
experience was informative because “our parents were both liberated by the Canadians.”
Except the majority of veterans seeking the government’s assistance
today are peacekeepers or former military members who served in Afghanistan.
Some are still in their 20s. And they haven’t been shy about voicing their
anger over the barriers they face gaining support and services. “The
majority of veterans are not disabled and disadvantaged,” said former veterans
ombudsman Pat Stogran. “The ones who are killing themselves are the ones who
are very desperate and being abandoned.”
Mr. Fantino, as a police chief,
displayed little empathy for those — such as aboriginal groups, gay activists
and other subsections of society — who sought to air their grievances through
public protests. While some described him as tough and no-nonsense, others saw
him as polarizing, insensitive and aloof.
“He has no time for political games, or what he thinks are political
games,” said one former staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
January 28, 2014: Veterans Affairs
Minister Julian Fantino blamed a Tory meeting that ran long as he apologized
for showing up “very late” for a scheduled appointment with ex-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 Fantino step down or be fired after the minister abruptly
cancelled his meeting with the veterans, only to then appear at the last minute
and apparently insult the group.
“If there is a family of a victim,
and he thinks you are not representative of the group and you’re doing this to
embarrass me, then he’s going to walk away. And he doesn’t give a sh– what
anybody thinks about it.”
Mr. Fantino has been able to push
some initiatives to help veterans. He launched a review of the New Veterans
Charter, the system through which modern veterans receive benefits. He secured
more money for funerals and burials. He championed adding the Boer War and
Afghanistan to the National War Memorial.
But he has failed to address the
most pressing complaints voiced by veterans, including changing the
department’s culture to make it more receptive to veterans’ needs, which in
turn has contributed to the recent public relations disasters. And when he is challenged
in public, the results have not gone well.
“What will live with him through the
rest of his career is that finger-pointing,” said an official with one Canadian
veterans’ organization. “That was a really bad day that has literally
overshadowed his tenure.”
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