Serving Canada’s veterans “is one of the highest priorities” of government: Conservative candidate

September 2, 2015 · 0 Comments

Serving Canada’s military veterans is one of the highest priorities we have as a government. The men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are our best and bravest citizens and we owe them the best possible care when they are injured.
When our Conservative government was first elected in 2006, one of our first priorities was the implementation of the New Veterans Charter. This significantly increased the range of benefits and services that are available to disabled veterans. These services not only compensate injured veterans for their pain and suffering, but give them the support they need to restore their ability to function at home, in the community, and in the workplace.
Since implementing the Charter, we have made important improvements to the New Veterans Charter. We have improved income replacement for disabled veterans, introduced a new monthly supplement to help severely injured veterans, and increased the overall level of benefits provided to Disability Pension recipients.
Our Economic Action Plan 2015 built on these improvements. We have created a new Retirement Income Security Benefit to ensure that moderately to severely injured veterans have the necessary financial resources to maintain their quality of life in their retirement, along with an eligibility expansion to the Permanent Impairment Allowance.
We have also created a Critical Injury Benefit, a tax-free lump-sum payment to compensate our Armed Forces members and veterans who suffer severe and traumatic injuries sustained in the line of duty.
With all the improvements we have made, support for veterans has increased by 35 percent since our Conservative Government was elected in 2006. But that is not all. A re-elected Harper Government will further improve the Earnings Loss Benefit for Canadian veterans with service-related injuries. This improvement will allow veterans to earn up to $10,000 in employment income before their benefit payments are affected.
Our party recognizes the tremendous service and sacrifice that Canadian veterans have made to our country. We owe them our deepest gratitude and respect. Just as we ended the Liberal’s decade of darkness for our Canadian military by giving our troops the equipment they need to get the job done, we are also doing the same for our nation’s veterans and their families.

Costas Menegakis
Conservative Candidate
Aurora – Oak Ridges – Richmond Hill