Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs

HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6

Comité permanent des anciens combattants

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 17, 2009 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs today released its report comparing veterans services offered by countries which are members of the Commonwealth or the G8 Group of industrialized countries. The report made nine recommendations, including continued review of compensation payments to help Canada keep pace with our allies.

“This is about ensuring the ongoing improvement of services to our veterans,” said David Sweet, committee chair and Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

In this study, the committee compared disability pensions, health care programs, and other services provided to veterans in Canada by the Department of Veterans Affairs to those available to veterans in countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The goal of the study was not to determine which country does the best job in meeting the needs of its veterans and their families, but rather to compare how countries deal with these issues and to make recommendations to the Canadian government. The committee recommended, among other things, that the government continue its review of the New Veterans Charter to ensure that the compensation payments for disabilities and all the other benefits it provides meet the needs of Canadian veterans and their families.

Sweet also reiterated the committee’s appreciation for the information provided by parliamentarians, military officers, diplomatic representatives and officials from the various countries examined during its study