Why do the CONs hate our veterans and our troops?

Actions speak louder than words; the Harper Regime©™ plans to slash and burn programs and services for Canadian veterans.

“While in Charlottetown last week, VAC staff informed me that because they did their job ‘too well’ and had too many veterans coming to the office for service, the federal government was closing the Charlottetown District office,” Stoffer said in a statement. “They were told to direct more veteran clients to the toll-free phone service and the internet.”

From here.

As well, human resources providing assistance with regard to suicide prevention and PTSD care for veterans of Afghanistan will be MASSIVELY reduced. From here:

[...] the Department of National Defence was cutting the jobs of medical professionals involved in suicide prevention and PTSD monitoring — despite claims by DND and the Canadian Forces that dealing with such health issues is a priority. Two unions have been informed by DND of the job cuts. DND has not commented on the cuts but sources confirmed the positions will be eliminated.

At the same time, the newspaper obtained an internal report for senior military officers at CFB Petawawa warning that emotionally damaged Afghanistan war veterans at the base are being neglected by a mental health treatment system that is in “crisis.”

‘MacKay loves to wrap himself in the military flag and as long as these guys are healthy’
The report was written by a group of civilian clinicians who provide much of the care to hundreds of mentally ill soldiers from the base.

It describes a system that is poorly funded, devoid of forward planning, scrambling to provide even basic care and leaving mentally ill, often-suicidal soldiers waiting four months or more before a psychiatrist or psychologist is available to treat them.

Unsurprisingly, the Minister for National Defense, Peter MacKay did nothing to ensure these vital services for veterans are maintained.

Harper government: it's all about the dog-and-pony show.

According to DND documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, the final cost of a military pomp & circumstance display on Parliament Hill was more than double the original estimate.

The Privy Council Office instructed the Canadian Forces on Oct. 2 to begin preparations for the victory celebration, well before the end of the Libyan conflict, according to the records. The PCO outlined exactly what it wanted and the military complied with a Parliament Hill celebration that included a flypast of aircraft and a parade of Canadian Forces personnel. PCO also asked for and received “special inclusion and recognition of LGen. Charles Bouchard,” the Canadian commander of the mission.

The request, which was also seen as coming from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office, sent senior military planners scrambling and within days they came up with various scenarios, including recognition of the mission at both the local level and at the national level with a Parliament Hill parade.

No doubt Harper CONservatives rolled tape during the photo opportunity which cost taxpayers $850,000. It's all window dressing for their 2015 election campaign, where they'll accuse their opponents of "hating the troops" although every CPC MP voted against a motion in the House of Commons that would have saved Veterans Affairs from budget cuts.

The motion was defeated by a margin of 147 to 122. All opposition MPs voted in support of the motion, while the Conservatives voted unanimously against it.

"There's so many guys that have died in the last conflict for this government, and the government has more or less spit in the veterans' faces," veterans advocate Dan Slack said following the vote.

"It's bullshit." Dozens of veterans representing every major conflict Canada has participated in since the Second World War packed the House of Commons galleries Tuesday night to watch the vote. Some were very aged, some came in wheelchairs or on crutches, but all proudly displayed their medals.

So. Close to a million dollars to make CONservative politicians look *victorious*.

And ZERO from the CONs for our veterans of peacekeeping forces, military interventions and wars: WWII, Korean, Gulf, Yugoslav, Afghanistan and Libyan.