Mike Powell Fanclub

For all that we talk about the need for people to support the troops, we forget that a lot of that support involves helping out the families of those that are deployed. Two stories from the last week bring to mind how government is abrogating its duty in this regard. The first involves a mental-health crisis amongst children at CFB Petawawa, where 20 of the solidiers killed in Afghanistan were based. While issues such as this are the responsibility of the provincial government, it is pretty clear that the Federal government has more than a little to do with any emotional issues that may be going on at the base. Second, Rick Hiller announced a charitable program to raise money to assist the families of deployed members of the military for things not usually covered under existing programs. I think that in this case, the heart is in the right place, but if there are problems with existing programs not covering enough, said programs should probably be expanded before we start a charity.

We all talk a lot about making sure that the Canadian Forces has the equipment it needs to get the job done- we are buying new(ish) Tanks, new tactical and strategic lift air planes and helicopters, and I am pretty certain that if Rick Hillier told the Prime Minister that the troops really needed the Toronto Maple Leafs to be allowed to compete in the playoffs, there would be a move to make it happen. Yet, when it comes to this, a quick search of Hansard shows that on the Petawawa matter there was only one question and answer, each more about the extension of the mission rather than the need for the government to care for all aspects of the military community, not just those in uniform. So, while we are willing to make a fuss over the purchase of hardware that will barely be ours by the time the current mission is set to expire, we don’t see a similar push for the government to pony up the financial support for the families that stay at home and worry, or much, much worse.

Write a comment