Ottawa should give 91-year-old veteran a bed at Halifax hospital: Tories

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia Tories say Ottawa should give a 91-year-old veteran a bed at Halifax’s Camp Hill hospital for war vets.

Veterans Affairs critic Alfie MacLeod says the federal government should reverse its decision denying Gordon Smith a bed at the hospital.

Smith wasn’t a Canadian citizen at the time of the Second World War, but served with the British Royal Navy during the war and then put in 18 years with the Royal Canadian Air Force after immigrating to Canada.

MacLeod said all Canadians who served in the military should be treated with respect.

He said Smith served Canada for decades and Commonwealth soldiers fought and died together during the Second World War — service he says should mean something.

MacLeod said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has botched the Veterans Affairs file far too many times.

“Veterans Affairs is running their department on technicalities and it has to stop,” MacLeod said in a statement.

“How backwards is it that we give PTSD services to convicted cop killers and deny beds to those who have made sacrifices for our country?”