Veterans shouldn't have to fight at home: federal Liberal candidate

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 26, 2015
By Teresa Latchford

No veteran should have to fight their own government to get the support they need after returning from serving their country.

Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill federal Liberal candidate Leona Alleslev led with the statement during today’s Veterans’ Affairs roundtable discussion she hosted at the Aurora Cultural Centre.

Joining her on the panel were former minister of defence and current Liberal candidate for Markham-Thornhill John McCallum and fellow Liberal candidates Deb Schulte, King-Vaughan, Kyle Peterson, Newmarket-Aurora, Corinna Traill, Durham and Francesco Sorbara, Vaughan-Woodbridge.

“A new Liberal government would honour our sacred duty to serve those individuals who have served our country in uniform,” she told the small crowd that gathered to participate in the discussion.

Earlier in the week, she stood alongside Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in Bellville to announce the party’s plans to support veterans if elected come October.

The platform includes re-establishing lifelong pensions for injured veterans, investing $80 million to cover the cost of up to four years of post-secondary education for veterans, another $100 million annually to expand support for families, increasing the survivor’s pension amount from 50 to 70 per cent, re-opening the nine Veterans Affairs service offices closed by the current government, implement all of the auditor general’s recommendations on enhancing mental health service delivery to veterans and budgeting $20 million to create two new centres of excellence in veterans’ care.

The first question to come from the audience was where the money needed to accomplish all of this would come from.

“We have to put the right priorities on the right things,” Alleslev said.

McCallum explained everything in the Liberal platform has been budgeted for and, closer to the election, the party will release a full financial plan to support its campaign promises.

The panel was also asked if Canada would return to a peacekeeping role rather than being on the front lines, as it was previously, if the party obtained power, to which all panelists replied, ‘Yes.’

Another resident suggested the party look into including emergency workers in the post traumatic stress disorder funding for support along with veterans, to which Traill said there is currently a national strategy in the works to do so, as well as include victims of domestic violence.

“We have a solid duty to treat those who served very well,” McCallum said. “The current resources and support veterans are receiving are inadequate.”