OTTAWA, ON — Conservative Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Blake Richards, released the following statement after the Liberal government released the official design of the national monument to honour those who served in Afghanistan:

“After 8 years of Trudeau, it is clear that our Veterans are nothing more than an afterthought to this Liberal government.

“In 2014, the previous Conservative government announced that a national monument would be built to honour those who served during Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan. Nine years later, it still hasn’t been built and the Liberal government has only now started to design one.

“Instead of honouring our men and women who served and those who fell in the line of duty, Trudeau’s government immediately stalled the project, leaving Canada’s 40,000 Afghanistan Veterans without a national monument to recognize their service and sacrifice.

“Trudeau has treated this project in the same way he has treated our Veterans; by telling them they are asking more than he can give, denying, delaying, and hoping that it eventually goes away.

“After Conservatives persistently pressured the government, the Liberals have finally broken their silence on the project’s status. Nine years after the monument was announced, the Liberals finally released the official design for its construction. However, announcing a design isn’t enough.

“Canada’s Conservatives are demanding that the government do the right thing, and honour our Afghanistan Veterans, by getting shovels in the ground immediately to finally complete the long overdue monument. Once again, Trudeau has shown what he really thinks about our Veterans. Common sense Conservatives stand with our men and women who served to fight for the freedom and democracy we value here at home and abroad.”