Greg Thompson

[Veterans Affairs, October 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we have honoured every promise that we made to veterans in our platform.

I remind the member that I have met with Mrs. Carter and I have outlined our plans for VIP to her. She knows those plans, as does the member. Sadly, he is obviously playing politics with this issue.

He did not listen very carefully. Liberal members deliberately and consciously stood in their places in this House and took VIP services away from our allied veterans. That is the Liberal record on VIP.

We are going to get it fixed. We made that commitment and we will do it.

[Veterans Affairs, October 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that member to examine Dr. Furlong's report commissioned by the Liberal government. He might know the answer to that. The previous government had 13 years to do it and it did not get the job done.

Here is a partial list of what those members did not do and what they did do when they were in government. That is the same party that cut VIP services to allied veterans. They cut them out. They eliminated them. That party cut burial programs for our veterans. That is their record. They cut veteran travel rates and treatment benefits for veterans.

That is their sorry record in terms of veterans and the treatment of veterans.

[Veterans Affairs, October 25th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, that member and his party have no credibility on issues pertaining to veterans or men and women in uniform or the military.

Members of the NDP stand in the House time and time again, and I ask every member in the House to examine their record, and they consistently, purposely and deliberately vote against every measure to support our men and women in uniform, including our veterans, on all military issues in terms of supply and the resources the members of the military need to do their job. The NDP has no credibility on that file.

[Veterans Affairs, June 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to enhancing that program. The member knows this. In fact, if he were being intellectually honest, he would tell the House that we brought 12,000 people, veterans and spouses, into that program in the last year alone.

When we do it, we want to do it in a way that is consistent with the department and consistent with the good delivery to veterans and widows. We are committed to doing it, and we will get it done.

[Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, June 14th, 2007]

moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.

[Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, June 14th, 2007]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Veterans Affairs, June 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as you well know, this file has been around for 40 years. The Liberals fell asleep on it. We are going to get it done.

Here are examples of the hon. member's record as minister. The Liberals cut VIP services to allied veterans. They did that. They cut burial programs for veterans. The member did that. The Liberals cut travel rates and treatment benefits to veterans. She did that on her watch. The Liberals cut $59 million from veterans in 1995 and another $11 million in 1998. That is their record. It is pathetic.

We will get the job done on agent orange as well.

[Veterans Affairs, June 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the member is the former minister who was in a total state of denial during her time in office, as was the Liberal government for 13 years, even going back to the days of Pierre Trudeau. We will have a resolution to this without their help. The Liberals did absolutely nothing except deny it for 13 years and many years before that. This file goes back 40 years. She of all people would know that. She sat in her place and did nothing all the time that she was minister.

[Veterans Affairs, June 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, again this goes back to the hypocrisy of the Liberals. The Liberal member would know that in the last year alone we have brought over 12,000 new entries into the VIP system.

He never tells that to Mrs. Carter or anyone else. He should do the math. The Liberals did not do their job in 13 years. We will get the job done but only after our health care review is completed so it will be the best service to the veterans and the widows. It will be consistent and good delivery to those people.

[Veterans Affairs, June 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, what really gets me in that question is the hypocrisy of the Liberals. For 13 years they purposely and deliberately took benefits from veterans.

As I told the House and I told the member himself, we have a health care review under way and we are going to enhance those benefits but only once the review is completed.

We are not going to be like the Liberals and take benefits away from veterans which they did for 13 years.