Chris in the News: Veterans still waiting

By Chris Charlton, MP - Special to the Mountain News

On Remembrance Day, millions of Canadians gathered at cenotaphs and Legions to honour the living, remember the fallen and thank currently serving Canadian Forces personnel.

But on Nov. 5, for the second year in a row, veterans organized a protest against the federal government to fight for better disability benefits and more support.

Clearly, there is a deep chasm between the government’s lip service to supporting our troops, and its failure to act on the key issues of concern to veterans.

When in Opposition, the Conservatives promised action to resolve the unfair reduction of veterans’ disability insurance payments, to extend the Veterans Independence Program for widows, and to hold a public inquiry with full compensation for all victims of Agent Orange. But, after almost six years of governing, the Conservatives are still leaving veterans waiting.

Incredibly, the federal government is now proposing to cut an estimated $226 million from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and to eliminate 500 employees. These cuts will impact veterans’ health care programs and services precisely when demand is increasing, especially for younger veterans.

Nothing highlights the urgent need for action more than the fact that our country’s veterans are now forced to resort to food banks because they simply cannot make ends meet. It’s to our country’s great shame that we have a food bank in Canada that is solely dedicated to serving veterans. From 2005 to 2010, the number of veterans served increased by a staggering 300 per cent.

New Democrats have a different approach. We have concrete proposals to improve services, including the development of new Veterans’ Health Care Centres of Excellence and more access to veterans’ hospitals, an increase for funeral expenses, action on rising veterans’ homelessness, a public inquiry into the Department’s breach of privacy with veterans’ medical records, and reforms to the New Veterans Charter. We continue to push the government to end the claw-back of retirement and disability pensions, to provide better care for those suffering from PTSD, to shorten wait-times for disability applications, to grant ‘marriage after 60’ pension and health benefits, and to reform the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

Veterans shouldn’t have to organize protests to be heard. The federal government must act now to ensure that veterans and their families are supported properly from the moment they sign up to the moment they pass away. For these brave men and women, Remembrance Day is every day. Lest we forget.

Chris Charlton is MP for Hamilton Mountain. Columns from the Mountain’s elected provincial and federal representatives appear monthly.