Veterans and their advocates are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a systematic dismantling of government support for disabled military personnel under Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration. According to military analyst Robert Smol, the government is employing multiple strategies to dilute its duty of care toward veterans while avoiding public scrutiny.
Three-Pronged Attack on Veteran Support
Smol outlines three key tactics being used against veteran services. First, the appointment of Jill McKnight as Minister of Veterans Affairs, a political newcomer with no parliamentary or cabinet experience. This move, Smol argues, ensures the minister will follow Prime Minister's Office directives without question.
Second, the government passed a budget implementing massive $4.2 billion cuts to Veterans Affairs. The administration publicly associated these sweeping reductions with only a minor decrease in medicinal marijuana allowances, deflecting attention from broader impacts on healthcare, financial support, vocational programs, mental health services, and pensions.
Legislative Sleight of Hand
The most concerning development involves stealth legislative changes buried within the 602-page Budget Implementation Bill (C-15). On page 442, the government proposes altering the definition of "province" to exclude territories when calculating long-term care costs for veterans.
Currently, veterans' long-term care costs are based on the province with the lowest rates, which traditionally includes the territories. By excluding territories from the calculation, the government effectively increases costs for veterans requiring long-term care. This change directly impacts an ongoing class action lawsuit scheduled for 2026 that could have resulted in significant retroactive payments to veterans.
Call to Action for Veteran Community
Smol, a retired teacher who served more than 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, argues that veterans must recognize their diminished political influence. Unlike the post-World War era, today's veterans don't constitute a large enough voting bloc to command government attention beyond ceremonial occasions like Remembrance Day.
The solution, according to Smol, requires veterans to organize, protest peacefully, and advocate aggressively through political lobbying and legal action. Only through sustained pressure can the erosion of veteran care be halted, he contends.
The situation highlights growing tensions between the veteran community and the Carney government, with advocates accusing the administration of valuing fiscal restraint over obligations to those who served in Canada's military.
