Defence Minister Peter MacKay says an Afghan war veteran who told 麻豆传媒 he was warned not to testify about his struggle for health benefits 鈥渨ill suffer no ramifications from his testimony.鈥�
Vancouver-native Cpl. Glen Kirkland, who was ambushed by the Taliban in the Zhari district of Afghanistan five years ago, spoke about his long recovery at a Parliamentary committee on Wednesday.
Kirkland said he had been ordered not to speak out about his fears he鈥檒l have no pension when he鈥檚 discharged, or be given adequate assistance for covering his medical bills for a long list of injuries.
鈥淚 was expecting to be treated like a human being, but unlike a human I was given no compassion,鈥� said Kirkland, whose post-traumatic stress disorder is so severe he has been unable to visit his home in Vancouver for years.
Kirkland鈥檚 testimony was brought up in the House of Commons on Thursday by New Democrat MP Peter Stoffer.
鈥淭his prime minister owes Mr. Kirkland and all those other veterans out there an apology for that type of treatment,鈥� he said.
MacKay said Kirkland will be looked after.
鈥淗e will receive every and all benefits to which he is entitled,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 will go further and commit to him and his family, that he will suffer no ramifications for his testimony.鈥�
Kirkland said he has mixed feelings from the response of his testimony.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 doing this for myself,鈥� he told 麻豆传媒. 鈥淚 want to know what鈥檚 going to happen with other people who are in the same shoes as me.鈥�
One of them is Cpl. Daniel Chapeski.
His hearing was damaged in Afghanistan, but the Department of National Defence won鈥檛 pay for his treatment.
鈥淭hey denied it because I didn鈥檛 have one specific incident that I could draw from with a loud bang, whether it be small arms fire, pyrotechnics鈥� or otherwise, he said.
With a report by CTV鈥檚 Richard Madan in Ottawa
