Mr. Speaker, as everyone in the House knows, it was Minister of Veterans Affairs Gerry Merrithew who first brought the situation before the House.
Veterans Affairs Canada has begun to employ scare tactics to sell the so-called half-baked plan. First they told the reporters that a fair package would cost $160 million. Then they implied that if the merchant seamen did not play ball, they would not get any assistance.
Now that Hallowe'en is over, will the minister stop trying to scare the Canadian public and our merchant vets? Will he give them the compensation package they deserve at $20,000 maximum for these seamen?