Former Veteran Ombudsman and retired infantry Colonel Pat Stogran has swung north to voice his support for Cariboo-Prince George candidate Sheldon Clare.
The pair met several years ago, and Stogran has since gone on to advocate for homeless veterans and others suffering from PTSD, notably challenging the Veteran’s Charter- which took away veterans’ disability pensions in favour of a one-time lump sum payment.
“I met him in the army, and I have a lot of respect for him,” says Clare,”I really respect what he did for veterans by standing up against the Veteran’s Charter, and he really stood up for marginalized people who needed help and weren’t getting it.”
Clare says he reached out to Stogran after learning learning about his promotion of Independent candidates… and it’s turned into quite a tour, with Stogran arriving in PG after a trip to St. Albert to promote Independent candidate Brent Rathgeber.
“Brent Rathgeber put it all on the line when he resigned from the Conservative caucus, so you know he is truly a man of principle!” Stogran declared in a Facebook post.
The pair addressed supporters at Clare’s campaign office this afternoon, with both decrying a ‘broken’ party system.
“People that join the parties, I’ve talked to them. Most of them are good people. They join for the right reasons, and they work hard. But you look at the Samara studies (exit interviews conducted with MPs), and they get sucked up into the culture that is party politics in Ottawa,” explained Stogran, “You’re not sending leaders to Ottawa, you’re sending first followers. You’re sending cheerleaders, because they’re not listening. This $1 billion from Erin O’Toole has promised veterans, you have no guarantee it’s going to go anywhere!”
He will meet with supporters at the Seniors Centre in Quesnel tomorrow.