JUNE 12, 2007

Source: Hansard

Hon. Albina Guarnieri (Mississauga East-Cooksville, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister told Nova Scotians that if they wanted him to keep his word, they would have to go to court.

Veterans affected by agent orange are already going to court as the Prime Minister continues to stall a compensation package in cabinet.

I ask the Prime Minister, will he finally pay up, or does he plan to betray veterans the same way he betrayed Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Saskatchewan?

Hon. Greg Thompson (Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the member is the former minister who was in a total state of denial during her time in office, as was the Liberal government for 13 years, even going back to the days of Pierre Trudeau. We will have a resolution to this without their help. The Liberals did absolutely nothing except deny it for 13 years and many years before that. This file goes back 40 years. She of all people would know that. She sat in her place and did nothing all the time that she was minister.

Some hon. members:
Oh, oh!

The Speaker:
Order. There seems to be excessive noise today. Hon. members could perhaps calm down so that we can hear the exchanges that are taking place in the House from the members who have been recognized to speak and not from everybody else. The hon. member for Mississauga East-Cooksville now has the floor.

Hon. Albina Guarnieri (Mississauga East-Cooksville, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, the minister is a broken record defending his broken promises.

In addition to stalling a $3 billion election promise on agent orange, the minister has reversed his pre-election position that agent orange disability claims should be automatically approved. In fact, in just the last fiscal year, over 700 agent orange claims have been rejected while only 19 have been approved.

Why has the minister taken so long to deliver so little after promising so much?

Hon. Greg Thompson (Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, as you well know, this file has been around for 40 years. The Liberals fell asleep on it. We are going to get it done.

Here are examples of the hon. member's record as minister. The Liberals cut VIP services to allied veterans. They did that. They cut burial programs for veterans. The member did that. The Liberals cut travel rates and treatment benefits to veterans. She did that on her watch. The Liberals cut $59 million from veterans in 1995 and another $11 million in 1998. That is their record. It is pathetic.

We will get the job done on agent orange as well.

For Further information contact:
Robert Cline
(905) 566-0009
guarna@parl.gc.ca