OTTAWA – The recent decision by the Conservative government to change the requirement for disabled veterans to provide proof of their injuries every three years, instead of every year shows just how badly the Conservatives are failing veterans and their families stated NDP Veterans Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer.
“Veterans with permanent injuries, like Paul Franklin, should not have to continue to prove that they are still disabled,” said Stoffer. “I know that some Conservatives deny the reality of climate change, but surely Conservatives do not believe that disabled veterans can re-grow their amputated limbs.”
Criticisms of the original policy by Paul Franklin, a retired master corporal who lost his legs in 2006 while serving in Kandahar, have generated significant public concern with this callous Conservative policy.
“It’s absurd to require veterans who are amputees or living with permanent injuries to have to prove the scope of their injuries in order to be eligible for continued assistance,” said NDP MP John Rafferty (Thunder Bay – Rainy River). “It’s time the Minister end this unacceptable policy.”
