OTTAWA—In the political controversy engulfing Justin Trudeau’s government, advocates fear that the revolving door atop the veterans affairs department means that veterans and their priorities are getting short shrift. Jody Wilson-Raybould on Tuesday announced her resignation from cabinet after serving barely a month as veterans affairs minister.She quit cabinet amidst allegations that Trudeau’s office had pressured her in her former role as attorney general to mediate a settlement with SNC-Lavalin rather than pursue criminal charges.In the wake of her announcement, Trudeau said that Harjit Sajjan, who is the defence minister, would take on the role of veterans affairs minister too. He becomes the eighth minister to hold the position since 2010 and the fourth since the Liberals took office in 2015.“It’s extremely frustrating,” said Scott Maxwell, executive director of Wounded Warriors Canada.“Who can possibly effect the real substantive reforms needed in any ministry under these time frames. The answer, of course, is nobody,” he said.Read more:Trudeau `frankly surprised and disappointed` by Jody Wilson-Raybould’s sudden resignationOpinion | Susan Delacourt: ime to break the silence that has defined the relationship between Trudeau and Wilson-RaybouldOpinion | Thomas Walkom: Wilson-Raybould resignation from cabinet overdue“Our message is that veterans and their families deserve better,” said Maxwell.In the wake of Tuesday’s resignation, the Royal Canadian Legion called on the government to create one department to merge Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence to ensure seamless oversight of military personnel “from recruitment into retirement.“We have witnessed several puzzling changes to VAC’s leadership in recent years, and we now question just how committed government is to Canada’s veterans,” the legion said in a statement.“On thei ...
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