Saturday, September 22, 2007

Veterans Affairs doesn't live up to promise

In February, the parliamentary committee on Veterans Affairs released a report calling for the federal government to create a veterans ombudsman to handle problems faced by our veterans – including the 228 Canadians who have so far been wounded in Afghanistan (which does not include those who might face psychological problems.) At that time our own MP, Betty Hinton, who is also parliamentary secretary to the veterans affairs minister, described the office of the ombudsman as a "heavy hammer" to uphold the Veterans Bill of Rights.
Now, the Toronto Star reports that
...the transparent and accountable process Canadians have demanded and government has promised in creating the office has been virtually non-existent .... [t]he ombudsman's office will not be legislated, nor will it have the necessary robust powers of investigation, such as the power to subpoena documents and witnesses, take testimony under oath or enter any relevant premises as required.
Just another half-filled promise. It's unfortunate that the victims in this case are our nation's best and bravest.

Cited article by Sean Bruyea
Published September 21, 2007
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