Article content

It’s one of the great mysteries of modern Ottawa – how can a Conservative government that claims to venerate its veterans screw up so badly and so often when it comes to their welfare in civilian life?

The report of the Auditor General on mental health services for veterans, released Tuesday, goes a long way to answering that question.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Auditor General's report slams government for failing veterans on mental health services Back to video

In essence, the report suggests the Department of Veterans Affairs is run like an insurance company – minus the facade of customer service that the industry presents.

Michael Ferguson, the Auditor General, was a little more diplomatic. “The findings we have presented today…underscore the disconnect that happens when departments don’t have a clear understanding of whether the services they are providing are meeting the needs of their clienteles,” he said.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

As Canada poured more troops into the mission in Afghanistan, the department saw an increase in the number of its clients suffering from mental health conditions – from less than 2% in 2002 to almost 12% in 2014.