Auditor General Michael Ferguson released a report recently that found one in five military veterans suffering from the mental wounds of war are not getting timely access to the care and benefits they need.
It's the latest in a years-long series of shameful recognitions that the veterans of today are slipping through the cracks. More Canadian soldiers have died from suicide in the last 10 years than were killed in combat in Afghanistan.
The New Veterans Charter, put in place by the government in 2005, remains the subject of a class action lawsuit from wounded vets who receive less compensation than veterans of all previous conflicts received.
There's also the closing of veterans services offices, making it harder for those in need to actually reach the services they are entitled to.
As a society, we are no longer deluded about what war means for those who fight it. It's not the adventure and glory promised by First World War recruitment posters. Somewhere between 10 and 15 per cent of combat soldiers are likely to suffer PTSD.
And yet the Prime Minister and his party display a remarkable audacity, glomming onto the Canadian military, its veterans and symbols in order to bolster their political image.
When the CBC reached out to Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino for comment on the Auditor General's findings, reporters were told he had joined the delegation of Second World War veterans for the 70th anniversary of the Italian campaign in Italy.
This is a pattern any Canadian considering joining our military must now consider before they enlist.
- Guest editorial from the North Shore News
