That figure had been whittled down to about 46,000 three months later, when Veterans Affairs Canada announced its plan in a teleconference with reporters. "Our projections show that, with these additional resources, the department will reduce the backlog by about 10,000 applications by March 2022," said the PBO report, posted online. A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay said the budget office did not look at the whole picture when it compiled its assessment. She said Conservative cuts to staffing at Veterans Affairs created a snowball effect that the Liberals have only made worse. Senior Veterans Affairs officials, testifying before parliamentary committees last year, presented a more nuanced picture, saying the rising number of claims was prompted by repeated overhauls to the system and more awareness of programs.

Source: CBC News September 28, 2020 19:59 UTC