Rota appalled Tories and Bloc playing politics

Nipissing-Temiskaming MP Anthony Rota says he’s “appalled” that the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have chosen to play politics instead of recognizing and honouring Canada’s War Veterans.

Rota, who was chosen to be part of an all-party delegation destined for Europe later this week to recognize Canada’s role in the liberation of The Netherlands during World War II, says that the opposition have in effect cancelled the trip.

“Yesterday I received a call from the Chief Government Whip, informing me that the Conservatives and the Bloc have conspired with one another in order to prevent their respective delegates from making the trip overseas,” Rota stated in a news release issued today.

“Because of their actions, if the Liberal delegates were to go ahead and travel to the Netherlands as planned, without the Conservative and Bloc delegates, those two opposition parties could work together to force a vote of non-confidence in the House of Commons. If their plan was allowed to unfold, they would have the numbers necessary to defeat the government, and force a snap election.”

The opposition, Rota states, "has made it clear" that creating an opportunity to force an election he believes most Canadians don’t want is more important to them "than recognizing the sacrifices made by Canada’s War Veterans, and that is most unfortunate."

Events surrounding the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands have been in the works for well over a year, and Rota, chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, believes the Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois "should issue a formal apology to the Canadian Veterans, as well as the Dutch Government, explaining to them why they felt it was necessary to renege on their commitment to attend these events.”

On May 8, Anthony Rota will join the Prime Minister, and over 4,000 Veterans and their families to celebrate the official opening of the new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, which will honour all Canadian War Veterans.