A Nova Scotia veteran is taking on the federal government in his fight to have post-traumatic stress disorder service dogs recognized the way all other service dogs are.
Retired Cpt. Medric Cousineau says following his service in the Royal Canadian Air Force, his service dog Thai changed his life.
“She is the wheelchair for my mind,” he said.
Cousineau started an organization called "Paws Fur Thought" to help other veterans get psychiatric service dogs, and now he's taking his motion to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The issue is really quite simple,” he said. “If you have a service dog and you have severe autism, severe diabetic, epileptic seizures, it also covers guide dogs for the blind, your expenses for your dog are a medical expense tax credit.”
But owners of psychiatric service dogs do not. Cousineau says on Friday, he received a letter from the minister stating the government needs more time.
“They're our champion and they've abandoned us,” he said. “They've betrayed us.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has two projects underway to evaluate the use of psychiatric service dogs as a treatment for PTSD. They're expected to be completed by December of next year.
A communications advisor says that evidence will help the tax credit be considered more favourably by the Minister of Finance.
Former MP and veterans advocate Peter Stoffer says the letter is “a slap in the face.”
“The finance minister can just snap his fingers and make it happen,” Stoffer said. “Why are they putting up roadblocks and barriers? They know what needs to be done.”
Medric Cousineau says this is about much more than a tax issue.
“It manifests itself that way, but what this is really is a human rights issue,” he said. “We're being discriminated against.”
Cousineau wants to ensure everyone living with PTSD is treated equally.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.
