Injured Soldier Who testified Before Committee Must be Reinstated

INJURED SOLDIER WHO TESTIFIED BEFORE COMMITTEE MUST BE REINSTATED

“We salute Cpl. Kirkland for his courageous testimony and call on Peter MacKay to immediately reverse the discharge orders.”
-Peter Stoffer
OTTAWA – New Democrats slammed Peter MacKay and the Conservatives today for the military’s discharge of Cpl. Glen Kirkland, the injured soldier who spoke out last week about the difficulties he faced in receiving care.
“It is unconscionable that Cpl. Kirkland was told he will be discharged, only days after Mackay gave his word to Parliament that he would suffer no ramifications for his testimony,” said NDP Veterans Affairs critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville – Eastern Shore). “Has the Minister lost control or was he deliberately misleading this soldier, his family, and the Canadian public?” Cpl. Kirkland served in Afghanistan and suffered injuries including hearing loss, vision problems, PTSD, and a brain injury. He testified at the Standing Committee on National Defence last week about his difficulty in receiving benefits and proper care from Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. He has told DND that he wishes to continue serving until September 2015.“Cpl. Kirkland is a brave young man and the Minister gave his assurances that Cpl. Kirkland and his family would ‘suffer no ramifications for his testimony’,” said NDP Defence Critic Jack Harris (St. John’s East). “The Conservatives must apologize to him immediately and reverse the orders for discharge.”
For more information, please contact:
Office of Peter Stoffer, MP, 613-995-5822 or peter.stoffer@parl.gc.ca
Kiavash Najafi, Press Secretary, 613-852-6186 or kiavash.najafi@parl.gc.ca