When Ken Thibault saw the future of the local ANAF 284 veterans club spiraling down the drain, he decided he’d exercise his freedom of speech rather than sit on his hands and simply watch the leadership struggle unfold.

But now that a long-teetering plan to rebuild the veterans club is finally going ahead, the 25-year-long member may not see the inside of the club again.

Thibault has become persona non grata at the No. 1 Road club for veterans of the Army, Navy and Air Force, according to an e-mail he sent to The Richmond Review last weekend.

“I have received notification that my membership has been revoked for the next eight months,” he said.

After that, he can apply for reinstatement. “They have notified me that I do not have the right to free speech, and they have bylaws that were put in place in 1946 to deal with members that speak out.”

The redevelopment proposal—which is now back on track and will see the club rebuilt and seniors housing added to the site as part of a comprehensive development—had been on the verge of collapse because of a leadership tug-of-war.

Financing for the project was close to being pulled, until the two sides finally agreed to create a new society that will now oversee the entire project.

While the internal strife seems settled, the anger toward Thibault hasn’t abated.

Although other club members spoke to the media in news coverage of the issue over the past few months, Thibault feels he’s been singled out with this disciplinary action.

And it’s ironic that all this is happening at a club for veterans, who put their lives in harm’s way to protect such principles as freedom of speech.

“It appears that their idea of free speech only applies if they like what you say. My sin in their eyes is that I have no right to disagree with their opinion,” Thibault said.

Sharon Goshko, president of ANAF 284, said Thibault’s suspension was based on his conduct in the unit, and had nothing to do with him speaking to the press.

“He disrupted the members...He was doing things in the unit...and the members were very, very upset.”

Goshko initially denied that Thibault was verbally reprimanded for speaking to the media during a meeting with the executive earlier this month, but then conceded some executive members did voice their displeasure.

“Everybody gets criticized, but that’s not the reason for his suspension...Certainly he was criticized, I suppose different (executive members) said why did you do that? A lot of it was not the truth, what was in the paper.”

The charge against Thibault was that he had been “an embarrassment to the executive, members and the association.”

But Thibault said the message during the two-hour hearing was crystal clear, and it was that the executive didn’t like Thibault’s public airing of the club’s dirty laundry.

Duff Conacher, co-ordinator of the Ottawa-based non-profit group Democracy Watch, said criticism of what’s happening in a club shouldn’t get a member suspended.

“It seems strange that a club like that would have any kind of rule that says no public discussion of club matters or criticism of the club. That would be a very repressive rule and restriction on free speech, which would be very ironic for a club of veterans who fought for people’s freedoms.”

Slander is a limit that’s accepted for free speech around the world, Conacher said.

“You have to tell the truth about other people. You can’t criticize them inaccurately...They weren’t fighting for the freedom to slander...”

If the club has a rule that says members can’t criticize a club, then that’s a “recipe for those running the club abusing their powers.”

If Thibault is vindicated, the club’s board members should be sanctioned if they’ve abused their powers and Thibault should be compensated for the time he hasn’t been allowed to access the club.

Mary McLeod, provincial secretary for the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada’s B.C. command office, said the provincial body that oversees other ANAF clubs, won’t be commenting directly on Thibault’s suspension.

“The reason for that is the member is entitled to an appeal here at the B.C. Command and the B.C. Command would not become involved in anything to do with that so that they remain unbiased when they hear the appeal.”

ANAF B.C. command office president Bill Calvert wouldn’t comment on the case, but did speak in generalities about procedures.

If a club member files an appeal with the provincial leadership body, the B.C. Command will look to see if all the applicable procedures were followed by the club and the member.

If the rules were followed, Calvert said the command will then look at whether a suspension was justified.

The command has the power to overrule any decision made by a club, Calvert said.