Do not be fooled by the long-awaited firing of former veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino.
The move had nothing to do with improving services to veterans. It had everything to do with Stephen Harper’s cold political calculations.
Every move Fantino made in his disastrous 18 months at Veterans Affairs was done by order of the Prime Minister. That includes using the unlimited resources of the government to fight in court against veterans who have to sue to get the benefits they were promised.
When the Conservatives were caught holding back a billion dollars from veterans benefits, Treasury Board Minister Tony Clements called it “good management.”
Getting re-elected is the only thing that matters to Harper. The plight of veterans means nothing to him.
Bob Nicholson
Penticton
