All eyes will be on a Vancouver courtroom today, as a ruling comes down on the way that the federal government treats wounded veterans.
It’s called the Equitas case, and it dates back to the days of the Harper government when it was announced that his government was replacing lifelong pensions with a single, lump sum payment and a few job retraining programs.
Veterans groups and opposition MPs were justifiably outraged by the decision and Justin Trudeau promised that if he became prime minister, he would reverse the decision.
Yet, here we are, two years into Trudeau’s mandate, and his government is defending the Harper policy in court.
I still can’t believe that our federal government would spend legal time and resources defending such an ill-conceived and punitive policy.
This shouldn’t be viewed as just a line item in a federal budget; it’s about helping our wounded veterans, the men and women who must cope with the physical and emotional scars of war.
I suppose it’s the hypocrisy that bothers me the most.
Members of Parliament give themselves a lifelong pension for their service to their country.
Don’t wounded veterans, who suffered life-altering injuries in their service to Canada, deserve the same consideration?
Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News