Re: “All who served in Forces are veterans,” letter, Aug. 12.
As a veteran, I was shocked to hear that the attorney general, on the advice of the Royal Canadian Legion, is considering granting B.C. veteran plates to the RCMP and other police forces.
This horrible idea should never come to pass. The fact that four other provinces have implemented it does not mean that British Columbia has to follow suit.
A veteran is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “an ex-member of the armed forces.” The Legion’s attempt to expand this definition would cheapen the whole meaning of the word “veteran.” We must draw the line and preserve the traditional definition before other groups jump on the bandwagon and turn the whole program into a farce.
The RCMP is a civilian force. Its members neither train for war, nor can they be ordered to go to war, as can members of the Canadian Armed Forces at any time. Certainly, many RCMP members have voluntarily deployed on military operations overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces, and those RCMP members are indeed veterans. However, this qualifies neither the entire RCMP as a military force, nor all of its members as veterans.
I have the highest respect for the RCMP. They provide a great service to Canada and deserve recognition. Therefore, I would fully support their own special licence plate or general first responder plate for all police officers, firefighters and paramedics. However, they should not be honoured in the same category as military veterans.
Brent Woods, Lt. (N) (Ret’d)
Victoria
