Commissionaires/Nanos survey: Canadians say vets should get better care

[The Bread Guy]

A Nanos national survey released today by Commissionaires, revealed a growing concern among Canadians with the plight of modern veterans, many of whom are struggling to make the transition from the Canadian Forces to civilian life.

An astonishing 94 per cent of those surveyed (an increase from 89 per cent in 2009) believe that Canadians have an obligation to ensure our modern veterans find meaningful employment after they've finished their service in the Canadian Forces.

“We have always observed Remembrance Day in this country to remember the sacrifice our veterans have made in defence of Canada,” noted Ted Barris, military historian and bestselling author. “This survey tells us that Canadians not only honour our soldiers who have fallen, but they care about our modern vets who have faltered in the transition from the Canadian Forces to the next stage in their lives.”

The survey probed Canadians on their views and attitudes towards the hardship many modern veterans confront when their military service draws to a close and they begin to look for their next career. The survey reported that nearly 43 per cent of Canadians feel that today's veterans have a more difficult time making the transition to civilian life compared to veterans in the past, while only 28 per cent thought they have an easier time of it today.

More than half of Canadians (51.8 per cent) believe that the support veterans affected by conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are receiving today is inadequate. Finally, the survey showed that while 82.1 per cent of Canadians think primarily of veterans of the first and second world wars on Remembrance Day, 88.9 per cent believe that all vets, whenever and wherever they served, should be honoured on November 11th.

“These survey results don’t surprise us,” said Bill Sutherland, National Board Chair, Commissionaires. “Every day we see the challenges that many modern veterans face when they finish their military service. But we know that veterans have an unparalleled work ethic and they are loyal, disciplined and dedicated given the challenges they’ve faced at home and abroad. They have the skills that any employer would want. They deserve to be supported for all they’ve done for us.”

Since 1925, Commissionaires has been providing meaningful employment for veterans as they make the transition from the Canadian Forces to civilian life. With 16 divisions and more than 20,000 men and women employed across the country, Commissionaires is a leading national provider of security services.

The Nanos survey was conducted between October 4th and 11th with a sample size of 1,000 Canadians. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 ....

Commissionaires news release, 5 Nov 12

CTV news, focusing first on the Remembrance Day, then the vets' care angle......

When it comes to honouring soldiers on Remembrance Day, most Canadians are more likely to think of aging Second World War veterans than those who fought over the last decade in Afghanistan, according to Nanos poll released this week.

The phone survey of 1,000 people found that 82.1 per cent of Canadians think primarily of veterans of the First and Second world wars on Remembrance Day, and that a majority (61 per cent) believe the importance of the occasion hasn’t changed since the start of the Afghanistan conflict.

The poll -- released by Commissionaires, a non-profit that helps veterans transition to the civilian workforce -- was conducted in early October. It has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The results show Canadians’ impressions of what constitutes a battle-hardened soldier haven’t caught up with the modern reality -- including 158 military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001, more for Canada than in any conflict since the Korean War.

Commissionaires chair Bill Sutherland believes decades of Remembrance Day ceremonies paying tribute to older veterans formed an image in Canadians’ minds that remains hard to dispel.

“The people at the cenotaphs were from World War One, World War Two, the Korean War,” said Sutherland, a veteran himself. “The idea that wars are primarily a purview of the young really left our collective consciousness as a society. The fact that we now have all of those younger veterans, from places like Afghanistan and the Balkans, is making that fact in-your-face again.”

Sutherland cited Veterans Affairs statistics that show there are more than 600,000 veterans in Canada. About 170,000 fought in the Second World War, but due to their advanced age, about 17,000 of those veterans die each month, he said.

“On other end of the spectrum, we know there are more than 39,000 veterans who served in Afghanistan,” Sutherland said, adding that about 5,000 soldiers leave the Canadian Forces each year. About 1,000 of those are temporarily employed by Commissionaires, which staffs security-related positions with its stable of retired soldiers.

The federal Department of Veterans Affairs failed to respond to CTV News requests to confirm these statistics.

The Nanos poll also found that most Canadians believe veterans aren’t being looked after as well as they should be.

Nearly 43 per cent feel modern veterans face more challenges adapting to post-military life than veterans from the past, compared to 28 per cent who believe the transition is easier.

More than half of Canadians (51.8 per cent) believe veterans are receiving inadequate support for conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The survey didn’t ask people to explain the reasons for their perceptions, and Sutherland declined to discuss his opinions on federal programs ....