Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, I have previously raised with you the defamation lawsuit brought by Mr. Sean Bruyea, a veteran who was personally attacked in a newspaper column by the former Minister of Veteran Affairs Seamus O’Regan. The day after Mr. Bruyea’s initial criticism of the minister was published in the media, Veterans Affairs cancelled the reimbursement of child care expenses for Mr. Bruyea’s son. The very next day. This was obviously retribution against the veteran for daring to criticize the minister. An investigation by the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman has agreed that child care funding was inappropriately cancelled.

Targeting a small child and taking away support for his child care because your government doesn’t care for what his father has to say is petty and vindictive. Will you apologize to Mr. Bruyea and his family for what they’ve had to endure once again at the hands of your government?

Will you then further ask your government to commit immediately to restoring the child care benefits for Mr. Bruyea’s son, and will you commit to never targeting any veteran’s child in this way ever again? It’s shameful that these questions even need to be asked of the Government of Canada.