Some of you may remember the recent column of our MP Colin Mayes entitled “No veteran left behind”.
The government of which he is part has just issued their defense against a class action lawsuit brought by veterans over reduced benefits – a lump sum instead of a pension for injured vets in order to save money – by saying that the veterans so affected have “lost nothing,” and that the federal government has no social contract (no obligation) towards veterans.
Mr. Harper and Mr. Mayes can find $600 million and counting to advertise the Canadian Action Plan, which has had no money budgeted since 2010; they can lose $3.1 billion in budgeted funds; they can spend $2.4 billion on consultants (90 per cent of which they refuse to tell us what it was about); they can contract for two 20,000 tonne supply ships for $2.4 billion and counting when the British are buying four 37,000 tonne supply ships for $1 billion; they can spend $10 million to rent two pandas because it makes a great photo op; and they can run a deficit of $18 billion on a war that couldn’t be won because it was good politics hiding behind the uniforms of our soldiers, but they can’t find the money to take care of those who were injured in that war: “You’ll take what we give you.”
Two more soldiers have just committed suicide.
Mr. Mayes, we’ll talk about this during the next election.
Richard Smiley