"War Widows forced into battle against the Federal Liberals"

November 5, 2003

Though I’ve been compelled (justifiably in my opinion) to label the federal Liberal government with a selection of unflattering descriptions throughout my political career (hypocrisy, irresponsibility, ignorance, arrogance, to name just a few), I’ve only rarely called the Liberals or their actions downright mean-spirited.  But that’s just what I’m saying now.  Let me explain why and see if you agree. 

It concerns a federal allowance provided to veterans and their wives to help pay someone to perform necessary chores around the house.  Many of our veterans returned from the world wars with serious injuries that left them permanently disabled or with chronic health problems. 

As complications from such injuries or age take their toll, it’s often the wives of these veterans who diligently care for them.  Yet, you can imagine the difficulty for these women, themselves advancing in years, as they struggle to serve as primary caregiver to their husbands, and to do the house cleaning, the yard work and snow removal. 

The allowance is called the Veterans Independence Program, or VIP for short.  I find this misleading acronym offensive because there’s nothing “VIP” about the program.  The allowance is a well-deserved and relatively small token of appreciation and recognition for the sacrifices our veterans made for our country and the sacrifices, past and ongoing, made by their wives.

However, widows have only been granted the benefit for 12 months following their husband’s death.  For years, veterans groups have been appealing to the federal government to continue the widows’ benefit for the rest of their remaining years.  This year they thought they were victorious.  They were wrong. 

Veterans Affairs Minister Rey Pagtakhan extended the benefit for life to only the widows of those veterans who died after the May 2002 cut-off date.  That means 23,000 war widows are denied the benefit simply because their husbands died too early! 

The benefit amounts to between $1000 to $2000 per year.  It would cost the government between $23-million and $46-million.  Minister Paghtakhan says his department doesn’t have the money.  Yet he managed to give back to the government $13-million from his department this year to cover the Liberals’ budget shortfalls.  

And think about the $160,000 Veterans Review and Appeal Board member Denise Tremblay spent on travel, meals and other expenses in just two years.  Ms. Tremblay, who also gets an annual $100,000 salary, is just one Liberal patronage appointee drawing from the Veterans’ department’s budget. 

Yet it’s the “divide-and-conquer” power play the Liberals are employing that compels me to call them mean-spirited.  They believe they can make the issue ‘go away’ by placating some widows with the benefit but not others.  

I haven’t seen anything so malicious since the same government agreed to compensate victims of Hepatitis C-tainted blood only if they contracted the disease after 1986.  That black mark in Canadian politics left even Liberal backbenchers in tears.  This situation isn’t much different. 

Canada’s war widows – all of them – deserve this benefit.  To do otherwise is to dishonour our veterans and the memories of those who’ve given their lives for this country.  Remember that when the Minister and the Prime Minister are delivering their Remembrance Day speeches next week!