Make Mr. Stephen Harper Make A Public Apology

Government sends cheque for 1 cent to soldier’s mother in ‘fragile state’ after son committed suicide.

Quoted from the National Post.

OTTAWA — Canada’s defence minister has apologized to the family of a soldier whose mother received a government cheque for one penny following her son’s death upon his return from Afghanistan.

Rob Nicholson says an “insensitive bureaucratic screw-up” resulted in the one-cent cheque being sent to the mother of Cpl. Justin Stark.

The cheque, dated Feb. 28, was sent from the Public Works department and was marked as “CF Release Pay.”

It’s not clear why it was sent, but a clearly incensed Nicholson told the House of Commons that he would look into the matter.

Cpl. Justin Stark was a 22-year-old Canadian Forces reservist and an infantry soldier with the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada who killed himself in the John W. Foote VC Armouries in Hamilton in October 2011. His seven-month tour of Afghanistan had ended earlier that same year.

It’s humiliating and degrading. Several tribunals were held to determine whether Stark’s death was related to his tour of duty, but it was unclear whether they ever reached a conclusion.

New Democrat MP Wayne Marston says the cheque has made matters worse for Stark’s mother, Denise, who he described as being in a “fragile state.”

Marston says he appreciated Nicholson’s pledge to look into the matter, but that he didn’t want to assign blame for the cheque being issued.

Rather, he said, Nicholson should put measures in place to ensure that a similar incident doesn’t happen in the future.

“It’s humiliating and degrading,” Keven Ellis, the president of the North Wall Riders Association, a motorcycle club that supports soldiers and their families with fundraising and events, told cbc.ca.

“It took the wind out of her sails,” said Ellis, who is speaking on behalf of the family because Stark’s mother is just “too distraught.”

“It’s been 2½ years and she gets a cheque in the mail from the government addressed to her son for one cent? This woman lost her son, and it seems like all these things keep falling on her.”

Well, Mr. Harper, you sure screwed that one up. When you finally tried to prove you paid separation pay to the vets, you send a cheque that can't be cashed. Don't you remember, you took out the penny. so no funds available. I urge you Mr. Harper to do the right thing and make a Public apology to the poor mother. Do you not have Respect for out VETS ? or people that have served or are serving our country, It is times like this I am ashamed to be Canadian.