Letter to the Editor
As the veterans of the Second World War and Korea pass away, the Canadian government appears to be set to reduce the function of the Veterans Affairs Department drastically. Instead of continuing the long standing support to veterans and their families, the government proposes to downsize the Department and form one that merely arranges remembrance functions once every couple of years and hands out cheques to members of Canada's modern -day veterans (as the Minister referred to them in his letter to me on July 19, 2010) Those disabled veterans of the modern conflicts who qualify may be awarded so many dollars for a lost eye and so many dollars for other disabilities based on a handy little chart that details what each of these disabilities should cost the country. With such limited scope, it will be possible to reduce Veterans Affairs to a several clerks and a few chiefs.
This will undoubtedly save the federal government some money, but will it serve Canada's modern-day veterans in the way that Canadians expect them to be served?
There are tens of thousands of modern-day veterans. They have served our country throughout the Cold War, during Peace Keeping missions and Afghanistan. Sadly, there will be more such operations in the future. Will it serve the families of those veterans who have lost a loved one ? Will it pay for the anguish of waiting for a service person to come home from an operational tour? Will it offer support to those who have suffered physical or mental trauma that have long standing effects?
Will it pay for side effects that do not surface for years after an incident? Will the money ensure that a bed is available in an institution such as the Perley Rideau Veteran's Residence when it is required?
Based on the number of people who come out to the 11th of November ceremonies and who line the Highway of Heroes when a casualty returns from Afghanistan, I would say that the Canadian people expect more from the federal government when it comes to support of Canadian veterans whether they be old or modern-day veterans. A second class downsized Department is not good enough-not for those who serve and not for the country who honour them.
When veterans march on the 11th of Nov they do not differentiate between old and modern-day veterans. They march shoulder-to-shoulder as veterans who have served their country to the best of their ability and expect nothing less from the country they serve.
It is vital that the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to reflect by its presence and its dollars the value Canadians place on the men and women who serve us and fight to uphold our way of life with distinction and honour -all veterans - old and modern day!
Regards
35 Biscayne Cr.
Ottawa ON
K2E 5R9
CANADA
natoveterans.org
