RVP Heather McKinnon met with Churchill – Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton for a follow-up meeting after they previously engaged earlier this spring.
Top of the list in this discussion, Bill C-357 and the changes it would effect on the Government Employee Compensation Act. RVP McKinnon could transmit the personal experience of members who have struggled to obtain compensation including a member who not only had to appeal twice, but several times following reinjury – a process that took months to resolve. C-357 having been tabled by NDP MP Peter Julian, Ashton’s support for USJE’s proposed changes to GECA is steadfast.
MP Ashton having sat often on the Public safety Committee, she has a firm grasp of many aspects of the realities inside the RCMP and the important roles USJE members play in supporting its operations. The challenges of policing in northern Manitoba are emblematic of the difficulties our members have to deal with every day. RVP McKinnon spoke of the temporary closures and amalgamations of detachments that are the result of the lack of regular members to fill the vacancies.
Finally, the never-ending Phoenix fiasco and the inexcusable disruptions to the lives of our members were discussed and were mirrored by the more recent debacle with the Canada Life insurance. The transition to the new insurance plan has left some members who require essential and expensive medication without the proper insurance cover.