Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from citizens across many communities and all walks of life who wish Parliament to know that they genuinely support and value the contributions of our veterans, and that they regard a veteran as a veteran no matter where he or she has served.
The petitioners join the Veterans' Ombudsman and General Walter Natynczyk in condemning the new veterans charter and the Department of Veterans Affairs for creating barriers to serving Canada's veterans.
Petitioners also demand that existing services such as veterans hospitals be mandated to serve modern-day veterans, including the more than 200,000 members of the armed forces who have served in peacekeeping missions since the Korean War.
The petitioners want, first, a full hearing in the House of Commons in response to the issues of pensions, special care, programs, services, and the preservation of an independent Department of Veterans Affairs; and second, a commitment that Parliament will act to ensure that veterans and their families receive the support they have been promised and to which they are entitled as members of the armed forces, past, present, and future.