The Liberal government can never be accused of failing to provide top-notch housing and a fine roof to sleep under for the night. For themselves. At our expense.Packs of politicians and tag-along leeches go on useless junkets and stay in five-star hotels, eating the finest foods and swilling back the best wines.Outrageous amounts have been spent on renovations for the prime minister’s getaway cottage and Rideau Hall, the governor general’s residence.Meanwhile, the number of homeless veterans who sleep in the streets or couch-surf gets bigger all the time. An estimated 2,600 veterans are now estimated to be homeless. But, that’s likely a low estimate now in the wake of COVID-19 and the early release and unvaxxed members getting thrown out of the military due to the mandates.Statistics Canada says 25,000 to 35,000 Canadians sleep in the streets or shelters every night; 62% of them are male.Oh, but the federal government says homeless veterans can benefit from National Housing Strategy initiatives. Why, in four years a federal aid program provided shelter for 277 homeless veterans in three provinces — Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick.But that’s a pittance considering the need. Yet, this government doesn’t care. If they did, they’d redirect some of that lavish entitled spending on themselves towards housing for the homeless.The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) said the program prioritizes navy, army and air force veterans, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. No number of units built for non-military who aren’t ‘priorities' was provided.“Canada’s National Housing Strategy prioritizes the housing needs of the most vulnerable populations in Canada including veterans by building new affordable housing,” the department wrote in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons. A breakdown of purpose-built accessible and affordable housing units built since November 2019 for former Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP was given.In 2019, 40 units were built!No, not a lot. The government had more pressing spending priorities.Since 2019, at least $11.7 million has been spent to renovate Trudeau’s cottage at Harrington Lake. That included a $5,000 golf cart. This is a temporary — for some not temporary enough — retreat for prime ministers.By 2019, the Trudeau government spent $1.6 million to renovate cabinet ministers’ offices. That included $68 towels for former Finance Minister Bill Morneau's officeBy 2020, the federal program only managed 10 units in Ontario and 20 in Alberta.In 2021, just six units were built in Alberta and seven in New Brunswick.In 2022, 137 units were built in Ontario and another 57 the following year in that province.Meanwhile, since being appointed in July 2021, Governor General Mary Simon has spent millions on junkets, where only the best hotels are booked costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.She replaced Julie Payette who resigned over a workplace scandal — but not before she squandered hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovations and plans for a stairway for ‘privacy’ that was never built. And she didn’t even live there!Let’s not forget the $6,000-a-night suite at London’s Corinthia Hotel where Trudeau stayed during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth ll.All that’s just the tip of the iceberg on wasteful spending.How much did hotel rooms cost for the 33 political aides, appointees and cabinet ministers who accompanied Trudeau to a September climate change conference in New York?Federal auditors have been asked to investigate $8 million spent on a solar-powered warehouse at Rideau Hall — with groundskeepers, a garage, and a luxury barn.Meanwhile, according to Blacklock’s Reporter, the DVA estimated that 1,905 to 2,400 veterans were shelter-users.“Some people who experience homelessness do not access shelters,” it acknowledged.Since 2018, the DVA has run an Emergency Fund paying $2,500 for food and shelter to homeless vets. There are about 461, 235 Canadian veterans.Last year, the $1 million annual fund ran over by $60,000.That’s less than hotel costs for... oh, name any Liberal government excursion.In a 2020 testimony at the Commons veterans affairs committee, then deputy minister retired Gen. Walter General Walter Natynczyk, pooh-poohed the notion that all homeless vets would be saved from the streets.“They migrate to Vancouver Island and camp out in the bush,” he said.Certainly, some vets want, or due to PTSD, choose to live in isolation.Most would rather have homes.Why are they homeless? Sone suffer drug addictions, some PTSD (different studies estimate 11% up to 79% of veterans suffer PTSD), some family breakups, some severe physical injuries diminishing their earning capacities. Some find it impossible to transition from military to civilian life after they faithfully served their country.There’s a myriad of reasons.Yet thousands of the physically and mentally wounded face daunting paperwork and horrific wait times to get the disability benefits — medical and financial — they earned because Veterans Affairs can’t clean up a backlog of 23,000 unprocessed applications that existed for years.A 2019 study found half of the veterans living in homeless shelters were women.It’ll only get worse. They won’t escape the housing and rental crisis rippling across Canada brought on by the Trudeau government.Trudeau recently boasted his government has always exercised fiscal restraint. Well, the federal debt has doubled to more than $1.2 trillion since he came to power.There’s always money for more refugees while Canadians suffer, lining up at food banks and sleeping in the streets.Not enough of that debt is due to looking after Canada’s military veterans.In 2018, at a town hall, Trudeau said his government was fighting some disabled veterans in court over changes to the pension system that slashed their benefits by more than half."Why are we still fighting certain veterans’ groups in court? Because they're asking for more than we are able to give right now," he said in response to a question from an Edmonton vet who had lost his leg in Afghanistan to an improvised explosive device.“I have pledged, and I did pledge, and I will continue to pledge that I will do right by you,” said Trudeau.One wonders what he thinks doing right by veterans actually looks like.But he, and his cabal, sure have had a great time flitting to and fro on junkets and holidays — staying in top-notch accommodations, the cost of which could have built so many more housing units.Winter’s here. But let the vets grab a cardboard box and eat cake.
