This week, veterans are camping out near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario who are on a mission to draw awareness and fight for better support from the Canadian government. Their noble efforts are in an attempt to keep the conversation going for the concerns raised by Brock Blaszczyk during Justin Trudeau's town hall meeting in Edmonton just a few weeks ago.
The number of homeless veterans that Veterans Affairs Canada is aware of in Canada has grown every year since 2015. On Jan. 1, 2015 the department reported a total of 475 on the government’s radar; as of Jan. 1, 2016 that number had grown to 578; and as of Jan. 1, 2017 there were 687 homeless veterans in Canada. That number grew to 770 by September 2017.
Homeless veteran Trevor Sanderson from Winnepeg is one of many camping out this week, in hopes to bring awareness to the issue and says “We don’t want money we want services, doctors. We want to be able to be out in public again, not be afraid to go into a Walmart and have a panic attack. That’s what we live with every day.”
But, according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, veterans are asking for too much.
I will be heading to Ottawa, Ontario to join the rally planned on Thursday February 15, at Parliament Hill in hopes to talk with veterans to help get their message heard. To find out more about the event, visit the official facebook page by clicking here