Senator Plett: Senator Gold, how can you justify assisted suicide as a service to improve the well-being of veterans?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Let me begin by saying that what happened to those veterans is totally unacceptable. It should never have happened.

Senator Batters: He should get fired.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding individual, a Canadian hero and beloved veteran of the Korean War, the late Donald Sudden, who passed away on November 22, 2022, just shy of his ninetieth birthday. He was the last president of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada Heritage Unit, which disbanded at the end of August 2021.

Don proudly joined the Canadian Army on June 7, 1951, and served with the Royal Canadian Artillery, 216 Battery at Petawawa, to train for Korea. He went to Korea in January 1953 and fought in hand-to-hand combat in the Battle of Hill 187 as a front-line gunner in the artillery, alongside the 3^rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. He was on Forward Line Crew until the July 27, 1953, signing of the armistice, then was assigned peacekeeping duties on the White Front, now the demilitarized zone, or the DMZ.

He left Korea in March 1954 and returned to Canada. From 1965 to 1966, he served in Vietnam as part of International Commission for Supervision and Control, and from 1966 to 1967 in Cyprus as part of a peacekeeping mission.

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In 1972, he retired from the Canadian Armed Forces after 21 years of service.

Don’s smile would light up a room, with his contagious laughter and positive outlook on life. He was humble to the core, always appreciating life’s blessings. He was one of my most active Facebook friends. I will miss his thumbs up or hearts and comments on every single post that I made. I will also miss him on our Zoom calls with his signature smile and raspy voice.

To Grace, his beloved widow, I offer my sincere condolences. Don was a devoted husband, and your love was an inspiration. I will miss our visits and hearing Don’s stories. Please know that you are not alone. Don touched so many lives, and his legacy will live on in each of us. We will continue to share his stories and his zest for life and carry a little piece of him in our hearts. Through my advocacy work and that of others, we promise to hold high the torch and uphold the legacy of the Korean War and the selfless sacrifices of our veterans of the Korean War.

Honourable senators, please join me in remembering the late Don Sudden, a Canadian hero of the Korean War. May he rest in peace.

Senator Gold: Your passion on behalf of veterans is justified. The implications that this government doesn’t care is odious. It is simply not the case. Please allow me to express my feelings and my statement.

My understanding is that it may have been simply one person who made this offer. The investigation is under way. The government is taking this seriously —

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, my next question is indeed troubling and very personal. There are now four reported cases of veterans being offered assisted suicide by the federal government, and more cases are expected to come forward.

The Veterans Affairs’ website has the following message front and centre:

If you are a current or former member of the CAF or RCMP, or a family member, we have targeted services and benefits to improve your well-being.

I have pause, as I struggle to stomach this, Senator Gold. The department responsible for providing support and services to members of the Canadian Forces — to soldiers who have put their own lives at risk for us and for others — is offering to our veterans assisted suicide to end their lives, Senator Gold.

Senator Gold: However, it is not my understanding that the services to which you refer on the website include medical assistance in dying. I’m assured that providing advice pertaining to medical assistance in dying is absolutely not a Veterans Affairs Canada service. You didn’t say it in so many words, Senator Plett, but you implied it, so I’m glad for the opportunity to correct the record.

Colleagues, this is a serious matter. I’d like to finish my answer. I understand the minister has directed the department to conduct a full investigation, which is ongoing, to ensure that all front-line staff are trained to deal with any issues, including issues around medical assistance in dying, or MAID, and to ensure that this never happens again. The government is taking all necessary steps to make sure that no veteran ever has to go through this again.

Senator Plett: Let me repeat what Senator Batters alluded to: Who is going to get fired, Senator Gold? Something happened here. Somebody dropped the ball, Senator Gold. You can say all you want that this will never happen again. But it is happening — over, and over, and over again. The lives of our veterans mean nothing to this government. They have put their lives on the line for you and me, Senator Gold. How can this even happen, Senator Gold, not once or twice, but on four occasions — four times — with more cases expected to come forward.

Minister MacAulay’s mandate letter said the following:

Your top priority is to ensure that services and benefits necessary for the physical, mental and economic wellbeing of Veterans and their families are easily accessible, responsive, and available in a timely manner.

Obviously, this is rhetoric. These are only words. The reality — let me finish — is quite different, Senator Gold. Under the Trudeau government, we have seen wait times increased, veterans brought to court and now assisted suicide offered to our courageous veterans.

Senator Gold, shuffling ministers out of this portfolio has not been successful for your government. At what point will our veterans get the respect and the services that they need and died for?