Posted on 10 February 2011
Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe is calling on the Minister of Veterans Affairs to make the required policy changes to provide the long promised but never delivered improvements to the Veterans Independence Program (VIP).
“The Harper Government refuses to honour their promise to veterans on the extension of the VIP, another in a long line of unfulfilled and broken promises to Canadian veterans,” said Downe.
Veterans Affairs Canada describes the VIP as “a national home care program . . . established in 1981 to help clients remain healthy and independent in their own homes or communities”; essentially, it provides funds for basic services such as snow removal and lawn mowing.
Stephen Harper made his position very clear when he stated:
The Conservative Party would immediately extend Veterans Independence Program services to the widows of all Second World War and Korean War veterans regardless of when the Veteran died or how long they had been receiving the benefit before they passed away.
Unfortunately for those who received these letters personally signed by Mr. Harper, his promises were clearly not met.
The most prominent figure in the struggle to hold this Government accountable has been 84 year old Joyce Carter of Cape Breton, a widow who received one of those letters signed by Stephen Harper (see attached copy). She summed up her disappointment, and her determination, when she confronted Harper outside the House of Commons in June of 2007:
"Mr. Harper, you promised me you'd look after our veterans' widows. Why have you lied?" (See below: “Vet's widow accuses PM of lying about veteran help”; [Final Edition] The Guelph Mercury. June 14, 2007.)
The media reported that the bad political optics that day prompted a hasty invitation to meet the Prime Minister following Question Period, where he told Ms. Carter, “It is something that we plan to do but were not able to do it right away.”
“There’s no excuse for him not to keep his promise,” said Ms. Carter. “I just want him to keep his promise.” So do all Canadians.
“It has been almost four years since then, and elderly veterans and their spouses are still asking when Prime Minister will keep his word,” concluded Downe.
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For further information:
Senator Percy Downe: 613-943-8107
Or toll free at 1-800-267-7362
www.sen.parl.gc.ca/pdowne
Vet’s widow accuses PM of lying about veteran help
June 14, 2007
Copyright (c) 2007 The Guelph Mercury. All rights reserved.
Not willing to take "maybe some day" for an answer, the widow of a Nova Scotia Second World War soldier accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper face-to-face yesterday of breaking his promise to help elderly veterans and their spouses.
In full view of television cameras, Joyce Carter caught Harper on his way into the House of Commons: "Mr. Harper you promised me you'd look after our veteran's widows. Why have you lied?"
The bad political optics prompted a hasty invitation to meet the prime minister following question period.
"There's no excuse for him not to keep his promise," said Carter, 80, as she waited to go to Harper's office. "I just want him to keep his promise."
When he was Opposition leader in 2005, Harper promised in writing that a Conservative government would "immediately" expand the Veterans Independence Program.
Yesterday he told her, "it is something we plan to do but we were not able to do it right away," Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, a spokesperson for the prime minister, said following the meeting.
In a letter dated June 28, 2005, Harper said: "A Conservative government would immediately extend the Veterans Independence Program services to widows of all Second World War and Korean War veterans -- regardless of when the veteran passed away or how long they had been receiving the benefit prior to passing away."
Harper's failure to live up to that vow "is totally unacceptable," said Liberal MP Dan McTeague.
"He made the commitment, he should keep it. Just cut the cheque. No one in the House of Commons is going to object to taking care of veterans and widows."
The national program provides housekeeping, home maintenance and home-care services for 97,000 eligible veterans, their spouses and widows.
>But access is restricted and many veterans or their spouses have been denied.
Expanding the program as Harper pledged would cost about $300 million per year and double the number of people it helps.
"The government has the money; they always do for other things," said Carter.
Credit: Canadian Press