MP stops in Charlottetown to tour Veterans Affairs headquarters
When it comes to improving the lives of veterans, it is important for government and members of the opposition to work together and leave party politics at the door, said the Opposition critic for veterans affairs. Conservative MP John Brassard is also a member of the standing committee on veterans affairs – a committee comprised of members from both the Liberal and Conservative parties.
He said the committee has one primary focus: veterans. “We try to work very well together in a non-partisan way to come up with solutions for our veterans,” Brassard told the Guardian during a stop in Charlottetown Wednesday. “At the end of the day, for us, it should not be a Liberal issue, not an NDP or Conservative issue. It’s a veteran issue, and that’s really what we need to be focused on.”
The MP from Barrie-Innisfil, who was on the Island as part of a cross-country tour to see what issues most concern Canada’s veterans, said it is important to get out and talk to veterans and to those who work with veterans to see what areas need improvement.
“When we sit it Ottawa, it’s awfully difficult to get a sense of what’s going on the ground,” he said, adding he plans on bringing his findings and recommendations back to Ottawa after the tour is over.
The No. 1 issue Brassard is hearing from coast to coast is the difficulty that arises when a member of the Armed Forces is trying to make his or her way back into civilian life. “Transitioning out of the military, whether you’re being medically released, whether you’re being released under normal circumstances - there still continues to be struggles on that,” he said, adding that transitioning can be overwhelming for families of veterans, especially if there are issues of post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health and/or physical ailments involved.
“There’s a lot of information that they’re bombarded with,” he said. “It’s tough. So, what we’re hearing, universally across the country, is that there has to be an easier system to make that transition that much simpler for the veterans.”
Brassard said veterans also mentioned they’d like to see a formal system put in place to make it easier for them to help other veterans who are struggling or readjusting to society.
“There’s a level of trust and there’s a bond there that exists (among veterans) and an understanding of the situation that they’ve gone through,” he said. “This could tangibly help veterans transitioning out, especially those dealing with PTSD and mental health (issues).” Brassard met with the provincial command of the Royal Canadian Legion and toured the Veterans Affairs Canada headquarters in Charlottetown. And while he can’t speak for government, Brassard did say that in all of the discussions he’s been involved with, he hasn’t heard any plans of moving the headquarters back to Ottawa. “What’s here in Charlottetown will stay in Charlottetown,” he said. “It’s an important piece of Charlottetown, it’s an important piece of the economy here on the Island.”