Rota gets promotion

Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota has a new job within the federal parliament.

Further information is included in the following news released issued today by Rota's office:
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Earlier this week, Member of Parliament Anthony Rota (Nipissing-Timiskaming) was elected as the Chair of the House of Commons Sub-Committee of Veterans Affairs. Rota was the committee’s unanimous choice to serve as Chair, and says “it is a real privilege and honour to have been chosen by my colleagues from both sides of the House to oversee the business of this committee.”

In his capacity as Chair, Mr. Rota will be responsible for ensuring that the committee members work well together to address the needs of Canada’s War Veterans. “I have had lengthy discussions with several of the committee members, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, as well as many veterans themselves in order to establish what the most important issues are to them,” says Rota.

One issue in particular that Rota hopes will be addressed by the committee in the very near future is that of the Veterans Independence Program (VIP).

The program, which began in 1990, was originally designed to provide homecare assistance to Veterans, thus enabling them to live independently in their own homes.

More recently the program was expanded to provide surviving spouses, and in cases where there is no survivor, other primary care-givers of deceased Veterans, with housekeeping and/or grounds maintenance.

“Over the years, the program has been tweaked to better serve Veterans and their families,” says Rota, “but I believe that further enhancements can be made.”

Given that 2005 has been declared the Year of the Veteran, Rota also feels that more and more people will be focusing on the work of this committee, and wants to ensure that “we stay true to our mandate of assisting Canada’s War Veterans by providing them with the services and consideration they deserve.”