Operation Sacred Obligation will commence on Oct 21 and extend until Nov 10th. At this time, the only day of the year, the CVA stands down from proactive operations to focus our collective respect upon the extraordinary sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in arms.
Be advised that Operation Sacred Obligation -OSO- is a multi-phased, multi-faceted campaign. OSO will conclude when the Harper Government embraces, not abandons, it Sacred Obligation to those who have suffered the consequences of War and Peace on Canada's behalf. To attain this objective, Phase-I will focus on pro actively promoting awareness of of the wounded plight to the Canadian Public and with their support, attain the support of all MPs-Senators.
Phase-I will be followed up by a robust campaign in the new year inclusive of a formal demonstration of support for the Sacred Obligation in front of the Supreme Court of Canada when the Equitas appeal is heard.
Operation Sacred Obligation – Phase I
Thank You for Your Service. Expressing our gratitude in a definitive manner to those serving, veterans and the nation's Memorial Cross recipients is a major component of this years Remembrance period campaign. I would encourage every CVA supporter to embrace this concept and go out of your way to speak to, shake their hands and thank them for their service.
|It is important that you say this.
Thank You for your Service!
It may seem trivial but I have seen the impact such words have borne upon our traditional WW2 and Korean veterans during memorials and imparting a deeper personal satisfaction, the expressions of serving members I have met in my travels. Embrace the spirit, step up and show your respect, shake the hand, look him or her right in the eye and say, Thank You For Your Service.
Black Ribbon Campaign. The objective is to demonstrate, as veterans and serving members, our profound respect for those who have been summoned to Niner Higher. Be advised that we are not in competition with the Legion poppy nor are we soliciting donations for the ribbons.
I would request that you do not use your poppy as the pin for the Black Ribbon. The object is to respectfully draw attention to the memory of the friends we have served with and the profound sadness we experience when we assemble to honour their sacrifice on November 11th.
The choice of pin you wear is yours but I would recommend that you choose one associated with the Regiment/unit of those you mourn. I will be using the RCR cypher this year, I will mourn the death of my friends Bobby Girouard, Afghanistan, Victor Wedel, Cold War… Sadly, our lists grow longer… but we will remember them.
The Black Ribbon will be worn on the left lapel beside the poppy if you are wearing it as a general sign of respect. The Black Ribbon will be worn over your medals/heart if you, as have I, personally shared in the tragic loss of a brother or sister in arms. Ribbons are available at any dollar store, just cut the ends diagonally, cross and pin. Make a bunch, get some of those free Canada pins from your MP and pass them out.
OSO- ENGAGEMENT – SACRED OBLIGATION.
MPS - Individual Ops. OSO Phase I awareness campaign will focus primarily on Conservative MPs to accept and fulfill their Scared Obligation and convince Prime Minister Harper to accept, not deny, the Sacred Obligation successive parliaments since World War 1 so will fully embraced.
Lest we forget. 150 of Canada's sons and daughters have died under Mr Harper's watch since 2006.
Lest we forget. Over fifteen hundred casualties oft times catastrophic in nature, have occurred on Mr Harper's watch.
Lest we forget… that every War Time Prime Minister of Canada has, until now, willingly embraced the Sacred Obligation.
War Time Prime Minister Steven Harper does not believe his government has a Sacred Obligation to those who suffered the Consequences of War in Afghanistan under his watch. Furthermore, Mr Harper is defending in indefensible at the Supreme Court of Canada in order to deny the wounded of Afghanistan the same level of respect as accorded to those who defined this nation in war and peace.
We must restore the Sacred Obligation and our duty, as veterans and Canadians who are loyal to the spirit of this nation, is clear. We must convince all parliamentarians, particularly those with in the conservative party, to accept their personal Sacred Obligation and unite with Canada's wounded in spirit. Then, guided by this spirit, we must collectively convince Prime Minister Steven Harper to accept, not abandon, his Sacred Obligation to those that he has governed over during the most intensive period of combat this nation experienced since the Korea War.
MP-Senators – Group engagement. The CVA is encouraging veterans within their respective communities to join together for a couple of hours and visit your MP to discuss the Sacred Obligation. It is important that we seek and attain the support of all MPs, regardless of party, as we engage and adapt to the situation. God willing, we shall attain Mr Harper's support before the next election, if not, we must have the mechanisms in place to ensure our voices are and have been heard, that a new or minority based parliament is committed to our cause.
This journey we have embarked upon will not be over tomorrow. Nor will the pain of Canada's most seriously wounded cease by Remembrance Day.
But what you do today, tomorrow and every day until this government accepts its Sacred Obligation will certainly shorten the length of the despair for those who have been abandoned.
Operation Sacred Obligation – Phase I Recap.
1-Thank you for your service.
2- Black Ribbon Campaign.
2-Individual engagement - Contact your MP, speak to the Sacred Obligation we, as a nation proud and free, have to those who have provided our freedom.
3-Group engagement. Organize a small group of veterans/families and meet with your MP.
Operation Sacred Operation-Advocacy Ops. National Level.
The CVA team will be on the ground in Ottawa November 3 and health permitting, will be actively engaged through out the week in advocacy operations and national commemoration-memorial events. Our itinerary TBA, but at this moment we have confirmed meetings with Minister Fantino, Peter Stoffer and Jim Karygianiss. We also will be meeting Veterans Parliamentary for Veterans Affairs Parm Gill and members of the conservative committee.
We are requesting meetings with the leaders of all opposition parties to encourage them to engage the government in the House of Commons on every opportunity to accept their Sacred Obligation.
As per our self imposed SOPs, we will also be attending Question Period each day, rotating in the gallery as a guest of each party. We also attend VAC and DND committee meetings to speak with the MPs and observe their efforts on behalf of serving members and veterans.
CVA Operations Ottawa - The CVA will be organizing two events over the Remembrance Week in the nation's capital . On Nov 6th, we will be hosting an Equitas Awareness program at the Polish Combatants Hall from 1900 until 2100. Our objective is to provide an informative evening wherein the foundations of the Equitas Society's quest can be clearly defined and an opportunity for the government, should they respond, to speak in general terms as to the relevance of their positions. All parties will be provided a brief time to define their respective party's position on the Equitas lawsuit and the Sacred Obligation.
An open format will follow wherein veterans, representatives of the media and parliamentarians will be invited to ask questions and engage in open dialogue about the Sacred Obligation and how parliamentarians would respond to the needs identified by the OVO's report during the NVC parliamentary committee.
On Sunday, the 10th, the CVA and Eastview Legion we are extending an invitation to all veterans attending the Remembrance Day ceremonies on Monday to join with us in comradeship at the legion at 1400 hours.
There will be entertainment, food, refreshments of course and most importantly, a time to relax and have some fun with brothers and sisters in arms. We start at 1400, stay as long as you like, just take a taxi back to the motel if you get toasted. Parking is free.
Remembrance Day Protest. The CVA policy is RESOLUTE!!!!! We do not engage in protest in any form on Remembrance Day. Nor do we advocate in a respectful manner until after the memorial ceremony has been conducted, wherein I do expect every loyal Canadian to speak to the plight of Canada's most seriously wounded veterans to anybody who is willing to listen. I understand that the situation this year is particularly elevated, I have been contacted by many encouraging me/us to engage Mr Harper and conservative MPs by turning our backs on the PM during the national ceremony amongst other…
Should you feel like participating in these endeavours, that is your personal perogative. I ask only that you respect the fallen and the families who will be present to publicly mourn their loss.
Pro Patria Semper Fidelis
Michael L Blais CD
President, Canadian Veterans Advocacy
904 359 9247
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Regards,
The Canadian Veterans Advocacy Team.
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