Ottawa, ON – James Bezan, Shadow Minister for National Defence, and Blake Richards, Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, issued the following statement after sending the attached letter to the Ministers of National Defence and Veterans Affairs:
“We are calling on the Liberal government to immediately recognize the service of Canadian veterans of the Persian Gulf War and War in Afghanistan as wartime service.
“Our Veterans are the reason why we enjoy peace and prosperity today. Conservatives committed during the last election campaign to properly recognizing Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces for their wartime services.
“Offering our respect and recognition is the least we can do to thank these brave men and women for their service and sacrifice. Over 4,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the Persian Gulf region in 1990-1991, and over 40,000 in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.
“Righting this historical wrong is not unprecedented. It took decades of persistent advocacy and challenges for both the Canadian Merchant Navy and the Korean War Veterans’ experiences to be recognized as wartime service.
“As we commemorate Veterans’ Week, we remember the 158 Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. But now is the time to make this change in how we recognize the service of the veterans who came home and Defence Minister David McGuinty has the authority to do so.
“Lest we forget.”