It’s about time

Last Friday in Barwick, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Ken Boshcoff announced an imminent proposal by the federal government to designate 2005 as the “Year of the Veteran” in honour of those men and women who, over the years, have put their lives on the line for Canadians in war, and for others on peace-keeping missions in the world’s hot spots.
Although this comes as welcome news, it comes 60 years after fact for many veterans, and too late for some. Furthermore, it comes at a time of ever-increasing cutbacks to our Armed Forces who find themselves having to make do with obsolete and unsafe equipment while struggling to maintain the high standard of professionalism for which they are known.
Meanwhile, the families of our service men and women are being asked to pay more for what is in some cases substandard housing as they attempt to make ends meet on capped incomes while their loved ones are away, sometimes for months at a time.
If the government is really serious about honouring our veterans, perhaps it should begin by making sure the next generation of veterans and their families are treated with the same respect and dedication it is now, belatedly, showing the current ones.
Special ceremonies and speeches are all well and good, but without a meaningful financial and political commitment to our Armed Forces, this current generation of veterans may well be the last representatives of a once proud and noble Canadian tradition.
And while they’re at it, would it be too much to expect the government to spend $275,000 to keep the Victoria Cross won by Fred Topham in Canada where it belongs, rather than be lost forever if it is sold at auction? It seems a small price to pay to preserve a priceless piece of Canadian history and pride.