Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Veterans Affairs tabled a disappointing response to a unanimous report on the new veterans charter. We heard from 54 witnesses over 14 meetings, and our report had the unanimous support of all committee members, including Conservatives, yet the minister is rejecting this report and saying no to any recommendations that cost any money.
A good example is recommendation no. 5, which states, “That all veterans with service-related disabilities, and their families, be entitled to the same benefits and support....”, yet the minister disagreed with this recommendation. This is the same department that has let over $1 billion in veterans funding lapse since the Conservatives formed government.
With Conservatives poised to deploy Canadian Forces into a war zone, it is time for the Conservatives to stop focusing on photo ops and PR and start focusing on giving veterans the support they need.