Veterans did not see a penny of the $105 million promised to them by Justin Trudeau last year.
The sum remained untouched, despite being earmarked for Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).
Since 2018, the Liberal government has failed to deliver on $327 million worth of funds promised to help veterans, according to Global News.
Trudeau has shut down veterans’ calls for more funding in the past and has fought veterans in court.
In 2018, during a town hall meeting, Trudeau was questioned by former corporal Brock Blaszczyk on why he continued to fight veterans groups in court while also re-integrating former ISIS fighters and awarding Omar Khadr several million dollars in an out-of-court settlement.
In response to the question, the prime minister told the former corporal that some veterans were asking too much of the government.
“Why are we still fighting against certain veterans’ groups in court? Because they are asking for more than we are able to give right now,” Trudeau told Blaszczyk, who lost his leg to a roadside bomb while serving in Afghanistan.
According to VAC, the department failed to meet a majority of basic service standards in the 2017-2018 year. 15 out of 24 service areas are behind on targets, including the rehabilitation program, disability benefits, and long-term care.
One key area of mismanagement by the Liberal government is a growing backlog of veterans waiting to qualify for disability benefits.
As of November 2019, up to 40,000 veterans were still waiting for a decision on their application. Among those waiting for a decision from the government, over one-third had been in the queue for over four months.
