E-7392: Petition to the House of Commons — Canadian Petition Tracker
Canonical URL: https://petitiontracker.ca/petition/e-7392
Track petition E-7392 — "Petition to the House of Commons" sponsored by Blake Richards. 57 signatures and counting. See signature growth trends and provincial breakdown on PetitionTracker.ca.
Petition Text
Petition to the House of Commons
Whereas:
• The Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) possesses no binding authority and is empowered only to issue recommendations that Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) may disregard without consequence, legal obligation, or public accountability, a circumstance that leaves veterans suffering demonstrable harm from administrative decisions, including VAC overruling qualified medical professionals and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board's inconsistent and opaque application of its mandate. without enforceable recourse through the very office established to protect them.
• No legislation currently enshrines the Office of the Veterans Ombud's mandate, independence, investigative powers, or authority in statute, leaving the office perpetually subordinate to ministerial discretion and departmental policy and rendering its oversight role structurally ineffective regardless of the diligence or integrity of the individuals who occupy it.
We, the undersigned, CAF Veterans, call upon the House of Commons to 1. Introduce comprehensive legislation that establishes the Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) as a fully independent statutory officer of Parliament; grants the OVO binding authority to compel VAC compliance within defined timelines where systemic harm or administrative failure is substantiated.
1. Introduce comprehensive legislation that establishes the Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) as a fully independent statutory officer of Parliament; grants the OVO binding authority to compel VAC compliance within defined timelines where systemic harm or administrative failure is substantiated.
2. Empowers the OVO to conduct binding systemic reviews of Veterans Affairs Canada and Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) adjudicative processes with authority to mandate remedial action; requires mandatory public reporting on OVO recommendation compliance tabled annually before the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.
3. Ensures veterans have access to funded legal representation in proceedings before VRAB (Federal Court Funding).