House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 40% of the vote.
Veterans October 1st, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the National Council of Veteran Associations has confirmed that the Liberals have betrayed veterans and that veteran Sean Bruyea was right all along.
The Liberals are also deliberately blocking ill and injured veterans from accessing the career transition service. However, when murderer Chris Garnier applies for veterans benefits, they put him at the front of the line.
Why does the government attack veterans and put the needs of murderers ahead of them?
Veterans September 27th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, when veteran Sean Bruyea questioned the rhetoric of this government, the first thing the Minister of Veterans Affairs did was have his staff fact-check his claims, but when they confirmed the numbers, the minister sent in high-priced lawyers to shut Mr. Bruyea up.
Why does the minister protect the rights of convicted murderer Chris Garnier and attack the rights of veterans like Sean Bruyea?
Veterans September 27th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, while our veterans have faced the most unimaginable of horrors, our Prime Minister cannot stomach the truth of those horrors. For veterans, PTSD is a burden they carry from serving a grateful nation.
Chris Garnier developed PTSD strangling officer Catherine Campbell, putting her body in a compost bin and dumping her under a bridge. Chris Garnier is not a veteran, so why is he getting veterans benefits?
Veterans Affairs September 26th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, let me say what is shameful. It is shameful that it took 29 days for the minister and the Prime Minister to get back to the House. It is shameful that every Liberal in the House stood yesterday to defend the benefits going to Chris Garnier, a convicted murderer sitting in a penitentiary absorbing veterans benefits.
Would the Prime Minister tell the House why he thinks convicted murderer Chris Garnier is entitled to benefits meant for veterans?
Veterans Affairs September 25th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to defend the indefensible on the Garnier case.
Catherine Campbell was brutally murdered, put into a compost bin and dumped under a bridge. This is a one-off situation. This is a mistake by Veterans Affairs to make this decision in the first place, yet he and the Prime Minister will not even speak to the issue of addressing it, as Canadians are demanding, especially veterans.
If he is not willing to do this, it is his place in the House to resign his position.
Veterans Affairs September 25th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, today, the comments in the debate around the Chris Garnier case show a clear lack of leadership and the ability the minister and the Prime Minister have to intervene and stop this outrageous situation, where this murderer is receiving veterans benefits. This is not a theatre today for the minister to pat himself on the back. This is a place where we ask him to solve ths now or resign.
Business of Supply September 25th, 2018
He is passing it off to his bureaucrats.
Business of Supply September 25th, 2018
Immediately, Madam Speaker. It took legislation, and that is why the period of time happened. He painted a different canvas than that.
In this case, if the minister is not willing to take immediate action on this wrong, and I believe that many of his colleagues in the House know this is wrong, I would ask him to consider resigning from his position.
Business of Supply September 25th, 2018
Madam Speaker, the great majority of what the minister has said today did not address the situation. He chose to address it at the end of his speech. From the report he received, he has decided to hand this decision off to someone else. He has decided that someone other than him should make the decision.
I want to refer to the comment my colleague from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek made about the Clifford Olson case. When this was discovered, and these are unusual circumstances, just as the minister has reflected in his instructions to his bureaucrats, the former prime minister said, “I have instructed the minister to look at what options are available to us to rectify the situation because it should be rectified.”
Business of Supply September 25th, 2018
Madam Speaker, let me assure my hon. colleague that day in and day out in this House and at committee, we are called upon to hold the government to account on all of the issues that he brought under the umbrella of the management of the Minister of Veterans Affairs. On all of these files, the minister is frankly failing in the job of overseeing and managing all of these issues.
We have selected one issue today. We have asked questions over and over again in this House about unspent money that sits there while veterans wait an average of seven months to find out if their claim is even going to be covered. Many of them spend more than a year waiting, with no response whatsoever from the ministry. There are many issues, as he mentioned.
I totally am on side and agree with the member. We need to hold the government to account for all the failures to veterans, and there are many. The Prime Minister has made many promises to them and has not delivered. Many veterans are absolutely mystified as to why we have this situation today where we have to put a laser focus on this issue. It is a lack of leadership.