THUNDER BAY -- Roy Lamore says Julian Fantino’s ouster as Veteran’s Affairs minister is the best post-Christmas present he’s ever received.
The Second World War veteran said Fantino’s decision to close veterans offices in several Canadian communities, including Thunder Bay, did not sit well with aging soldiers and sailors.
Fantino’s refusal to meet last fall with Canadian veterans was a slap in the face to all that served.
“I’ve never been so pleased to hear that news,” Lamore said on Monday.
“He actually didn’t do anything for Veteran’s Affairs. He never met us veterans face-to-face. He was always running to another meeting … and he went into the papers explaining why he couldn’t go to the meetings. We went to Ottawa for a reason. We wanted to talk to him and get something straightened out.”
Fantino, the former head of the OPP, held the portfolio for about 18 months.
He’ll be replaced by Erin O’Toole, a former member of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Fantino remains in cabinet, named the associate minister of defence.
Lamore said having local veteran’s offices in communities is a lot better than getting on the phone and being transferred from office to office.
It’s the least those who served their country deserve.
“That is what we want, someone we can meet face-to-face.”
Lamore is hoping for better relations with O’Toole at the helm.
“They can’t be any worse. I’m hoping for the best. He is an ex-service personnel … I’ll be more than willing to sit with him, more than willing to shake his hand and say, ‘We’re all off to a new start.’
“If I meet him, I know I’ll get good results because all I got from Fantino was disappointment. He didn’t come up with anything concrete to say they were going to help the veterans.”
