Rookie Newfoundland MP battles for vets
This appeared in the Charlottetown (PEI) Guardian:
Seamus O’Regan has dealt with personal demons involving alcohol and mental illness.
Everyone deserves a second chance and more; and so we wish the rookie Newfoundland and Labrador MP well with his appointment as Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs.
The newest member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet took time off to seek help in late 2015. He admitted his problems and sought treatment. His own experiences will place him in a good position to deal with critical issues facing our country’s veterans. They fought our battles and now deserve the assurances that their country will look after them in their time of need.
The departing minister — Kent Hehr — faced challenges around the cabinet table. He failed to deliver on some key Liberal election promises — except reopening district offices. Other issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness and disability pensions remain unsolved.
O’Regan is a personal friend of Trudeau and the two have vacationed together. Having a warm relationship with the PM is a good thing when a cabinet minister comes calling looking for more money.
Trudeau had high praise for his friend, who’s shown his skills and abilities in caucus, and in delivering for his province. The cabinet has encountered growing pains over the past two years and it is unlikely the PM would pick anyone unless he thought he or she could do a good job.
O’Regan, a former national CTV host, has one of the government’s toughest and most politically sensitive portfolios. He is embracing the challenge and is anxious to get started. There is a long list of issues for Veterans Affairs.
We hope O’Regan has great success in providing for our men and women in uniform. When veterans are forced to sue their government for disability benefits, it’s really a national disgrace.
If O’Regan can return those pensions as one of his first acts, he will go a long ways toward restoring the trust of veterans in their national government.