Newly appointed Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr says he is committed to striking a 鈥渘ew tone鈥� with Canada鈥檚 veterans, by ensuring services they need are delivered in a 鈥渢imely and ongoing鈥� basis.
Less than week into his new portfolio, Hehr says he is 鈥渢hrilled鈥� and 鈥渉umbled鈥� to be paying respects to veterans on Remembrance Day in Ottawa as minister of veterans affairs.
that Nov. 11 is a 鈥渃hance to recognize the commitment of our men and women鈥� who have fought for Canadian freedoms and values.
During the election, the Liberal government made a number of pledges to veterans, young and old, 鈥渢o do things better, to strike a new tone,鈥� Hehr said.
鈥淲e made political hay on this and now it鈥檚 time to for us to deliver,鈥� the minister said.
He reaffirmed those campaign promises in a
The pledge includes revisiting the New Veterans Charter, addressing pensions, delivering services in a 鈥渢imely and ongoing basis,鈥� and reopening veterans鈥� offices that were shuttered under the Harper government.
"We believe job number one of our department is to ensure veterans are getting the services they require; whether they are financial benefits, retraining in school or a health-related," Hehr later said in an appearance on CTV's Power Play.
Hehr added the "best way" to extend these services is to "start staffing up" the closed veterans' offices.
The office closures sparked outrage among some veterans, who as a result, had to travel four to five hours in order to receive Veterans Affairs services.
Hehr said that the Liberals have also promised 400 new case workers to sees veterans' issues "dealt with quicker."
However, he could not provide an exact timeline on the plan to reopen the offices.
"We have committed quite a bit over the course of the next four years to our veterans, and we have every confidence that we will deliver on that platform in a timely fashion, or else I might be hearing from the prime minister on that end," Hehr said with a laugh.
The Liberal government also says it鈥檚 committed to addressing post-traumatic stress disorder among military personnel, as well as the rise in army suicide rates in recent years.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Wednesday that he and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance will make PTSD treatment one of their priorities.
Sajjan, who himself is a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Bosnia, said he personally knows soldiers and vets who have struggled with PTSD and other issues.
He told CTV鈥檚 Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that the Canadian Armed Forces have 鈥渃ome a long way鈥� in providing mental health services, but he wants to make sure they 鈥渃ontinue to evolve.鈥�
Hehr says the Liberals want to take a 鈥渉olistic approach鈥� to support soldiers and their families, and 鈥渆liminate the stigma of a soldier looking to get help and encouraging them, if they鈥檙e struggling, to reach out.鈥�
"We have to understand that when a veteran comes back home with his issues, it is the partner, it is parents, it is the friends that are also affected," he said on Power Play.
Hehr himself is no stranger to catastrophic injury. In 1991, he was injured in a drive-by shooting that left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.
"When I had my spinal cord injury 鈥� my dad was deeply affected, my mom was deeply affected, my sister was deeply affected," he said. "There were times when their help was necessary for me and sometimes others help was necessary for them."
Hehr is also serving as associate minister of defence. The purpose of the dual role is to bridge services between the closely linked ministries, Hehr explained.
"What our department will be doing is looking at how to have that seamless transition from being involved in national defence to becoming a veteran," he said.
"So starting that process early and often, and getting people the supports they need -- whether it is the retraining, whether they want to back to school, whether they need help 鈥� we're going to do that."
Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose told CTV鈥檚 Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that her government worked hard on the issue of military mental health and suicide, and she is certain the new government 鈥渨ill do the same.鈥�
Ambrose said there 鈥渕uch work to be done,鈥� including research into why some soldiers are susceptible while others are 鈥渕ore resilient.鈥�
鈥淲e need to figure out what those things are, so that we can prepare our men and women when they go into battle,鈥� Ambrose said. 鈥淎nd support them after they come back.鈥�
