Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O鈥橰egan attended the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Saturday, despite the fact that he is still recovering from an emergency surgery.
O鈥橰egan told CTV鈥檚 Omar Sachedina outside the National War Memorial that he was suffering from a gastrointestinal issue that required immediate attention but that his prognosis is good.
鈥淒octors gave me a day pass so that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� he said.
O鈥橰egan, who went to high school at CFB Goose Bay and who has a brother serving in the Royal Canadian Navy at Esquimalt, B.C., said Remembrance Day has taken on new 鈥渨eight鈥� for him now that he鈥檚 minister.
鈥淚t really reminds you why you鈥檙e doing this,鈥� he said of Saturday鈥檚 ceremony. 鈥淭hese are very human faces that we see here.鈥�
O鈥橰egan was sworn in just over two months ago but has already faced criticism over his handling of who now number at least 770 in Canada.
The minister told Sachedina that the issue of veteran homelessness is complicated by mental illnesses, including Post-traumatic stress disorder, but that the government needs to step up.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be more nimble,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be more sympathetic. We have to, in each and every case, give the veteran the benefit of the doubt.鈥�
O鈥橰egan added that he is 鈥渄etermined that we will identify those people on the streets and give them the help they need.鈥�
