Madam Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise and talk about the important issues facing Canadians.

Before I get into the substance of my speech, let me first thank, on behalf of the people of Battle River—Crowfoot, and, because I represent a military base, camp Wainwright, the thousands of serving men and women who don our nation's uniform and do the hard work that is required to keep our nation safe. In spite of the challenges we face, these dedicated men and women are absolutely an incredible example of what it is to be the best of our country. Along with that, because of having a military base in Wainwright and the small towns and communities that surround it, there are many veterans whom I have the honour to represent.

As we go into the Christmas season, especially at a time when often emotions run high, and times can be difficult, whether because of economic circumstances or emotional circumstances for those who have faced loss, let me start by thanking the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our nation. All those veterans and servicemen and servicewomen are the best of what our country is.

We are here talking about an interesting subject, which reminds of the early months when I was first elected. I heard from a veteran, Tom, who shared a bit of his story with me. He reached out to my office before COVID, which seems like a long time ago. As a newly elected MP, I heard from Tom and he described a little bit about himself. He was a technician in the armed forces. He had served in a number of overseas deployments, had retired and was now doing contract work with DND. However, he had spent much of his life, as is the story of so many who have served our country, travelling and did not call any one place home for very long. He had just settled down in a small town in rural Alberta, which is, of course, the greatest place on the planet. After getting settled there, he bought his first house, which he was very proud of. He then found love and got married, but much to his surprise when wanting to make sure that his wife was taken care of, while updating the pension documents and associated paperwork, he learned about this clause that would eliminate the ability of his spouse to be entitled to his pension. If memory serves correctly, he was just over the age of 60, and so had just fallen out of the qualification range. He was now having to make difficult decisions in terms of long-term planning for his family, because of the implications of this clause.

I remember very specifically the grace with which his request was made, as Tom explained that he wanted to see that this was fixed so that others did not have to go through what he went through. I would highlight that while this was part of the mandate of, I believe, two or three consecutive ministers of Veterans Affairs, there were some proposed changes, which were clarifying changes that did not actually fix the substance of the issue, but clarified some of the rules around marriage versus common-law in the superannuation acts affected. However, this is still a concern that many veterans have to face.

We deal with this on other public policy issues, such as CPP, OAS and other seniors' benefits. At the time when many of these things were brought into effect, the average life expectancy of Canadians was significantly lower than it is today. As a result, the calculations associated with these programs were based on a life expectancy that was generally much lower. Thankfully, because of advancements in health and whatnot, we see that the average life expectancy now of men and women in Canada is pushing 80, and I believe for women it is a little above 80, which is good news for Canadians, but it has also changed the way that many of these things are calculated. The context in which that happens has in fact changed.

In 1901, this policy was brought forward. Circumstances were very different in terms of what an average Canadian family life would look like. We couple all of those things together and now we have individuals who are simply falling through the cracks.

Let me highlight how important it is that we honour and respect our veterans because they are putting their lives on hold. It is not that they get into the military. I do not know that I have ever heard of a military serviceman or servicewoman who gets into the military because they want to serve for the pay. They get into it because they want to serve our country; they want to do what is best for our country. I am proud to serve in a caucus with a number of veterans, and get to hear their perspectives, including the member for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, who spent some time in military service. I think he does not boast enough about his time with the Snowbirds, the pride of the Air Force. Those incredible men and women put their lives on hold and not for financial gain. There is a sacred obligation that the government has to ensure that they are taken care of.

When it comes to what is really a technical issue of ensuring that family members are able to have peace and security, as life can be unpredictable, we need to ensure what should be predictable at a time when men and women face circumstances that so often are, by nature of their service, unpredictable, and the consequences that go along with that. I know about that very well from some of the things that happened in my own life last fall.

I would just highlight that this is, I believe, incumbent upon all of us. Camrose is the only city that I represent, a small city, about 18,000 people, where my main constituency office is. I remember John, who lives in Camrose. He was a veteran who was very outspoken and very stereotypical in terms of the demeanour we would expect from a military man. He had very strong opinions and was not afraid to share them with me. I knocked on his door in the 2019 election, again in the 2021 election, and we had great conversations. He pointed out to me, which I am highlighting again today in the House of Commons, the irony that an MP qualifies for a pension after six years, but that is certainly not what is afforded to our veterans, although they have put their lives on the line for our country.

I think that highlights how quite often there is a disconnect in the way we approach thinking about what public service is. We must do everything we can to ensure that our men and women who put their lives on the line are, in fact, given dignity and respect. It highlights how difficult it is for all Canadians, specifically those who are on fixed incomes, like those who are pensioners, and the fact that someone may have a pension that may increase by 2% or 3%, sometimes less, sometimes, if someone is fortunate, a little bit more than that, but yet their costs are significantly more than that.

I asked the parliamentary secretary earlier if he could explain to Canadians how celebrating the rate of inflation coming down does not actually mean cost savings. It is important to highlight that and just highlight another important aspect here, which is the help that veterans need.

I want to give a shout-out. During the first week of September, I had a great conversation with members of the Worthington branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Wainwright, Alberta. That is home to camp Wainwright, one of the army's training facilities. I am very proud to represent that. I had a great conversation with the president of the legion and other representatives, including some veterans, who shared practical steps that the government could take and, in some cases, not even steps that would cost much in terms of the dollar amount, but just to help make sure that barriers are removed and that veterans are respected.

Something interesting came up which I will put on the record here, just as I wrap up my speech. We need to make sure that, when a veteran calls for help, it is a veteran who answers the phone. That seems to me like common sense. Sometimes when a veteran is facing a difficult circumstance, making sure they have somebody who answers the phone who is in fact a veteran would give them the calming security they need and help to ensure they get the response that they need.

When it comes to the important issue of this particular clause and the larger issues surrounding veterans, I am glad to have had the chance to intervene today.

Damien Kurek

$606,673.00