Statement made on 26 November 2008 by Senator Lorna Milne (retired)
Hon. Lorna Milne:
Honourable senators will bear with me if I repeat what I started yesterday when I was so rudely interrupted by the end of Question Period. The Leader of the Government in the Senate has now had adequate notice of what I was asking.
On November 10, The Hill Times published a letter by Joyce Carter, from St. Peter's, Nova Scotia, regarding her concerns about the Veterans Independence Program, VIP. In her letter, Ms. Carter outlines her frustration with the current government's failure to live up to the promise made to her in writing in June 2005 that the Conservative government would extend this program to all Second World War and Korean War veterans' widows — all of them.
Honourable senators, in June of last year we all remember that Ms. Carter came to Ottawa to plead her case in person with the Prime Minister. During that meeting, a commitment was made that this extension of VIP services would be addressed in the next budget.
However, the initiative in the last budget will serve only about 30 per cent of veterans' widows, according to Ms. Carter.
Therefore, on behalf of Ms. Joyce Carter, I ask the Leader of the Government in the Senate if this government will finally keep a promise that was made to veterans' widows on June 28, 2005, to extend the VIP program to all Second World War and Korean War veterans' widows.
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