According to Veteran Affairs Canada, Nov 11 is a date that serves as: “remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace.” As a Veteran of peacekeeping, peacemaking, and war I am disinviting you Mr. Prime Minister, and your caucus, from Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada. Your continued hostility towards Canada’s Veterans makes you an unwelcome guest.
Mr. Harper you have led a cruel and deliberate campaign of harm against disabled veterans. Afghan War Veterans that fall under the New Veterans Charter are suing the government in an attempt to regain fair compensation and care. But your office prefers to waste tax dollars conducting legal delay tactics instead of respecting court decisions. These same tactics were used for seven years against Dennis Manuge while he combatted the unjust SISIP clawback. In the mean time, disabled Veterans are going bankrupt or will die in poverty. Continued delays damage both the Veteran and their young families
I encourage you to allow Veterans to exercise the rights we have defended for other Canadians.
Minister Julian Fantino, a combative ex-police officer who sees himself above Veterans, leads your information effort. The minister is working hard to address the “tangle of misinformation regarding how Canada treats” its Veterans. By the way, that very minister utters much of the tangled misinformation and continues to mislead Canadians.
Please replace Minister Fantino.
Your government argues that parliament, not the courts, is the appropriate place to address the situation. Yet, you have had a majority government for years and have done nothing but add a veneer of change. Furthermore, you feel that this government should not be bound by promises of previous governments because: ”their argument could have a far broader impact than perhaps intended by the plaintiffs”. Canada was built on promises; therefore, your argument makes Canada a lie. Tell me Mr. Prime Minster, if the government is not bound by previous promises then why should any soldier fight to defend a lie?
Through veiled words and actions you indicate that the economy is more important than the people who protect it. You knew we were getting into a hard fight in Afghanistan. I am sure the insurance-minded VAC and SISIP made it clear that disabled and wounded would be expensive. Bluntly sir, paying down the deficit on the backs of the disabled is repugnant.
If you cannot afford the Veterans you cannot afford the war.
Mr. Harper this letter is not a political attack. I am conservative by nature and, until recently, Conservative by ballot. Besides, you have bigger troubles than being disinvited to Remembrance Day; you have lost my confidence and vote.
Please demonstrate appropriate behaviour by taking a minute of silence at 11am on Nov 11 – in your office.
Sincerely,
David
David T. MacLeod CD MA served in the Canadian Forces 1982-2010. As an Infantryman (PPCLI) and later an Intelligence Operator, he served in several missions including Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, the NORAD response to 9/11, SW Asia and Afghanistan. He holds a BA from University of Manitoba and an MA from Royal Roads University. David blogs at Veteran Watch http://
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/10/17/veteran-to-stephen-harper-dump-fantinoand-dont-come-to-remembrance-day/
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