Member of Parliament Airdrie-Banff, Blake Richards, is calling out Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay for freezing essential services.

According to Richards at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, disturbing revelations came to light.

“Virginia Vaillancourt, National President of the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees, told the committee that VAC (Veterans Affairs Canada) Case Managers were instructed to not initiate any new medical or psycho-social services for Veterans in need during a transition period from October 25 - November 22, 2022. Our office has since received evidence that substantiates her claim. This transition period is a result of Minister MacAulay awarding a $560 million contract which outsourced key Veterans services to third parties."

Richards stated when veterans seek help, the Department of Veterans Affairs must ensure they receive the help they need in a timely fashion.

"Veterans already face extreme delays in trying to access the resources they need from VAC. VAC’s systematic refusal to initiate these life-saving services for close to an entire month is emblematic of the lack of leadership and oversight at Veterans Affairs Canada."

Richards is asking Minister MacAulay to immediately apologize and commit to rectifying this outrage so that it does not happen again.

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