Mr. Speaker, I listened with great intent, and even some amusement. I appreciate that my friend brings some levity to something as scintillating as a budget implementation act today at 11:45 p.m.
I have a very specific and important question for him on what is in this bill, because it covers a lot. It goes across a whole spectrum of different issues that would affect 60 different laws.
As my Conservative colleagues used to believe when they were in opposition, it can at times be an abuse of power by a government to ram so much into a single vote and to then demand that members speak in just a 10-minute slot and then vote once. I have quote after quote from the Prime Minister and from various cabinet ministers, Conservatives all, who, when in opposition, decried this very same technique used by the Liberals.
Let me be specific about the effect on veterans from what exists in this bill. There has been much concern coming from us, as the official opposition, having listened to the families of veterans and the veterans themselves, particularly those who have suffered through some injury or another incurred while in the service of this country.
Whether those injuries were physical in nature or otherwise, such as PTSD, one of the grievous mistakes the government made was a clawback of veterans' benefits for those who had been injured. It is a very specific clawback that affected veterans like Sean Bruyea.
Veterans like Sean Bruyea, who very bravely came forward, even though his mental health records were scandalously exposed by the government, came before the committee and said that the clawback started in 2006, which it did. The government says that the clawback was wrong but has only turned the clock back three months for those veterans rather than all the way back to 2006, when the clawback actually started.
This is going to court again. The government spent $20 million going to court the first time. Why make veterans go to court again just to seek justice on the rewards they so justly deserve on behalf of the Canadian people?