Mr. Speaker, since the detention benefit was announced, I can find no record of it ever being paid out or any figures of unsuccessful applications. The government announces programs for veterans and then makes it impossible to qualify. What a cruel trick. Promises to restore the funding after the federal budget is balanced do not count for anything because we all know there is no plan to balance the federal budget. It was just another fake promise from the fake feminist Prime Minister who just was not ready to be prime minister.
It is all about setting priorities. Veterans tell me they are outraged that it was a priority of the government to give over $10 million to a terrorist but cry poverty when it comes time to pay the benefits that were promised to soldiers and veterans. The health and safety of our women and men in uniform should be a number one priority for the government.
There is an opportunity for the new Minister of Veterans Affairs to make things right. He can either repeat the mistakes of the last ministers of veterans affairs or do the right thing and give the veterans what was promised in the last election.