Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, is questioning the treatment of an Afghanistan Veteran, after the soldier was told by the Liberal Government the problems he is having is because he is getting old and his body is just wearing out.
“Warrant Officer Roger Perreault is a Canadian hero. After all that he has suffered, I was shocked the Veterans Review and Appeal Board denied his application for a Critical Injury Benefit,” said Cheryl Gallant, MP. “At age 46, Warrant Perreault is now in the process of being released from the Military after a 28 year career in the military that includes tours in Afghanistan, Bosnia as well as three special duty areas. While he was in Afghanistan, he was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast. This is not a case of his body “just wearing out.”
“What was also shocking to me about this denial, was the way the documentation from Warrant Perreault’s military doctor was dismissed by the Liberal Government. This makes me question whether the Review Board was medically qualified to make this decision. The doctor supports the application for a critical injury benefit.”
“I will be very interested to see the outcome that has been promised by the government to review this case. Then we will see if the government intends to do right by our military personnel and their families,” concluded Cheryl Gallant, MP.
Edited Hansard, February 8, 2017
Mrs. Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, Conservative):
Mr. Speaker, in 2006, Warrant Officer Roger Perreault was injured in an lED blast in Afghanistan. He has had three back surgeries, two hip replacements, and other complications. Now in the process of being released from the military, the Liberals are denying him his critical injury benefit, saying that at age 46, it is just normal wear and tear.
When did the fake promises of supporting our injured soldiers from slipping through the cracks become the policy of the Prime Minister?
Hon. Kent Hehr (Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence): Mr. Speaker, our department is committed to getting our soldiers, sailors, and aviators the care they need when and where they need it. We go through a complex array of systems of care to get them mental health supports and physical supports, whether that is through our 11 OSI clinics, whether it is through our 4,000 mental health care professionals and the like, to go forward, to build a system that ensures they are able to build their lives. With respect to this particular member’s concern, we can go back and look at it as a department.