Opposition parties support calls for veterans affairs minister to resign: ‘Untenable’

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay is facing pressure from Veterans Affairs employees, veterans and advocates to step down amid high wait times and other issues.

Canada’s opposition parties are voicing support for the growing pressure campaign on Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay to step aside, saying he has failed veterans who feel forgotten by Ottawa.

The union representing thousands of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employees has called for MacAulay to resign or be fired, accusing him of repeatedly refusing to meet with members to discuss their concerns.

Veterans and the leaders of multiple advocacy organizations have echoed those calls as wait times for disability benefits continue to far exceed targets set by the government.

In a statement Tuesday, NDP MP and veterans affairs critic Rachel Blaney accused MacAulay of “letting the relationship sour” between the government, VAC workers and veterans themselves.

“The minister can’t say he’s working for our veterans when he won’t even listen to them,” Blaney said.

“With calls for the minister to be removed from his position from the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees, the situation has become untenable.”

Blaney added on Twitter that MacAulay should step down if he does not “step up and fix his relationship with the union.”

Although the Conservatives have not said explicitly whether MacAulay should step down, veterans affairs critic Blake Richards on Wednesday criticized “this absentee minister” as “another example” of the government failing veterans and their families.