Liberals must announce lifelong pension for veterans

OTTAWA – The Liberal government repeatedly promised it would announce its long-awaited new pension plan for injured veterans before the end of 2017 and with the Parliamentary session over, veterans are left to wonder when the new pension plan will be released. With two weeks left before the new year, the Liberals continue to make our veterans wait.

“Veterans were promised – and were expecting – much more from this government. But, once again, the Liberals, just like the Conservatives before them, continue to leave veterans hanging,” said NDP Veterans Affairs Critic Irene Mathyssen. “The men and women who have served Canada and sacrificed so much deserve the greatest respect from our government. Part of the sacred obligation we owe our veterans is to ensure adequate support during and after their transition from military to civilian life. The Liberals must uphold this obligation.”

The commitment to a lifelong pension was a key Liberal promise in the 2015 election. The Prime Minister campaigned alongside veterans and promised them he would reinstate lifelong pensions for injured veterans in order to repair neglect they endured under the Conservatives. Since the election, the Liberals have distanced themselves from that commitment and now talk about re-establishing lifelong pensions as ‘an option’.

“To date the Liberals have failed our veterans. Until they release a new pension plan, they continue to mislead and give our veterans false hope,” added Mathyssen. “Where is the real change the Liberals promised? Our veterans can no longer afford to wait. This is about the respect our veterans deserve.”