My bill aims to honour our aboriginal veterans

This week, I’d like to tell you about an important private member’s bill that I have tabled in the House of Commons, as well as remind you about the disability tax credit workshops and town hall meetings I have planned for this week and next.
First off, I’ve always believed our veterans deserve our utmost respect and admiration for protecting the very Canadian values of freedom and equality.
To demonstrate my respect and admiration, I have tabled another private member’s bill that will both honour the sacrifices of our veterans and uphold the principle of equality in Canadian society.
This is the second private member’s bill that I’ve introduced, and is entitled “An act to provide a compensation plan for First Nations veterans comparable to the one offered to other war veterans.”
Among other things, this bill will grant benefits and compensation to First Nations veterans that other veterans already have received or are receiving, offer additional compensation for the delay in providing the initial compensation, erect a war memorial on or near Parliament Hill to commemorate the First Nation veterans who gave their lives in the service of our country, and require the Government of Canada to issue a public apology to the First Nations for the disparate treatment their veterans have received to date.
In short, this bill will recognize the contributions of all Canadian veterans and uphold the very values they fought and died for.
My second item of business in this column is to remind everyone I will be holding a series of workshops and town hall meetings across Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding this week and next.
The first hour of these meetings will deal with explaining and signing eligible people up for the disability tax credit, while the second and third hours will be a town hall discussion that will focus on the economy, the recession, issues affecting the middle class, and any other issues you’d like to discuss.
Anyone who has problems with seeing, speaking, hearing, walking, bowel or bladder functions, feeding, dressing, or performing mental functions necessary for everyday life may be eligible for the disability tax credit. As such, I highly recommend attending these sessions if you have any related health issues or know anyone who has.
If you don’t have an interest in learning more about the above tax credit, then please come by for the town hall portion and let me know what you think I should be focusing my efforts on while I’m in Ottawa.
Once again, these will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8 at the Atikokan Pioneer Centre, Thursday, April 9 at the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau, Tuesday, April 14 at the Emo Legion, Wednesday, April 15 at Our Lady of the Way School (Stratton), and Thursday, April 16 at the Rainy River Legion.
Thanks again for reading, and have a great week.