Delays in providing benefits and services to Canadian veterans remain far too long and are leading to dire consequences in some cases, says Airdrie-Cochrane MP Blake Richards.
Richards will continue as the Conservative shadow minister for Veterans Affairs. While he would prefer to see a Conservative government in place, he said he is eager to continue advocating for veterans—a role he began in October 2022.
“I think it’s always a challenge with a government that just isn’t listening,” Richards said.
Richards said the Conservatives played a key role in exposing and halting Veterans Affairs Canada employees from offering medical assistance in dying (MAID) to veterans who were seeking help to live their lives. However, he remains concerned by reports suggesting the practice may be resurfacing.
“We’re going to try and get to the bottom of those and see what is happening there,” he said. “But I think being able to prevent some of the worst things and expose some of the problems that exist is certainly a step towards fixing the issue.”
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Richards said veterans are still waiting too long to receive the benefits and services they are entitled to, in some cases waiting years.
“You can imagine that in that period of time, when someone is struggling to support their family, it often leads to divorce, which can lead to problems with substance abuse and homelessness. All of these things are preventable and avoidable.”
He said Veterans Affairs has consistently failed to meet its service standard of processing all claims within 16 weeks. The Conservatives have campaigned on correcting that issue.
“In most cases, it’s taking far longer than that,” Richards said. “What we’ve proposed is that a Conservative government would implement a policy where, if claims haven’t been processed within that 16-week window, they would be automatically approved.”
While he acknowledged there are many other issues facing veterans, Richards said fixing claim delays would be a critical first step.
In advance of the return of the House of Commons on May 26, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre named an extensive shadow cabinet this week.