Canadian Auditor General announced on Tuesday that the federal government has failed to fulfill its promise to veterans, calling for a real plan to ensure that sick and injured former soldiers are not left on waiting lists for months or even years.

The harsh indictment came from Karen Hogan after presenting a report to Parliament which found that disabled veterans still face unacceptably long wait times and delays in knowing whether they qualify for federal assistance and benefits or not.

Hogan said at a press conference on Tuesday in Ottawa, "The government has truly failed to fulfill its promise to our veterans."

The Hogan report echoes warnings and complaints from veterans and others that delays in processing such claims can have a significant impact on them and their families by preventing access to treatment and financial assistance.

But in a separate press conference, Veterans Affairs Minister "Lawrence MacAulay" acknowledged the need to do more to help them, while basically rejecting Hogan’s findings.

He described the auditor's report as "a snapshot at a particular point in time," and presented his own figures on the backlog, citing them as evidence of the government's approach success.

He said, "We are on the right track, as I have previously noted, to ensure that we are handling this properly and placing the backlog where it should be." "I can assure you that we have the process to do that."

The measures involved include hiring hundreds of temporary staff over the past few years, as well as efforts to reduce bureaucracy and rely more on digital tools.

While Hogan noted the introduction of these measures in her report, she found that many are still under development and that Veterans Affairs has not been able to assess the impact of those already in place.