CALGARY - A Canadian soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan says the financial treatment of injured and wounded war veterans by the Harper government is an "abject betrayal" of the new generation of soldiers.
Maj. Mark Campbell, who stepped on a bomb in June 2008, said the new Veteran's Charter established in 2007 robs wounded soldiers of about 40 per cent of their income.
Campbell says the new system of lump-sum payments and income replacement pales in comparison to the post-Second World War practice of granting lifetime pensions.
He said the changes are akin to putting a couple of patches on a leaky bicycle tire, adding the $250,000 he received wouldn't be enough to pay for one day in his shoes.
Campbell said the Harper government should immediately revert back to the old pension arrangement and forget about attempting to fix the new legislation.
He said Canadians should be "outraged" at how poorly the government is treating its wounded veterans.
