SAINT JOHN, NB, October 30, 1998

Statement:

The 35-member National Council of Veteran Associations today supported the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association in a public statement criticizing the Minister of Veterans Affairs for refusing compensation to Merchant Seamen for demobilization benefits available to members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in World War II. Cliff Chadderton, Chairman of NCVA and advisor to the Merchant Navy Association, addressed a meeting of the Merchant Navy group in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Cliff Chadderton referred to BRIEFING NOTES issued to NCVA by Veterans Affairs on October the 15th, which stated:

"No undertaking was made to provide Merchant Navy with a lump sum xxx, nor to put the issue 'on the table' during 'these' consultations."

The issue which was raised by hunger strikers of the Merchant Navy group on Parliament Hill (September 29 - October 9) is that, although amendments now being proposed by the Minister provide parity with the veterans in the matter of pension and allowances, the failure to provide these benefits over the past 53 years represents a loss estimated at approximately $45,000 in the average case.

The second issue concerns another 12 post-discharge benefits available to veterans to which Merchant Seamen had no access. These include rehabilitation grants, educational assistance (vocational and university training), housing, financial help to purchase a farm, and various forms of temporary income support. The loss to Merchant Seamen through failure to recognize their needs in these areas is estimated at $30,000.

"Our Merchant Navy Veterans, who suffered not only the highest risks of any service butwere required to undergo severe hardships during their time at sea, fell between the cracks," Chadderton stated.

The policy of the Canadian Government, which led to a denial of benefits, was contained in a statement from Transport Minister Lionel Chevrier in 1945 which read as follows:

"It is necessary at the outset to record that Merchant Seamen are all volunteers and are engaged in a civilian capacity. Many people believe that the service is an enlisted one, similar to the three Armed Forces. This is not so. Seamen themselves are opposed to the regimentation or control that would naturally follow enlistment in a uniformed force."

It should be understood why there has been a substantial delay in bringing forward the plight of these Merchant Seamen. The difficulty arose initially from the belief that they could find employment in their own trade as mariners. This opportunity disappeared, however, when Canada decided to dispose of its merchant fleet following World War II. This means that the Merchant Mariners had to look for jobs in a civilian economy which was already experiencing difficulties in absorbing the million men and women who had served in the regular forces. The problem reached an acute stage by the late 1980s when the Merchant Seamen were encountering severe problems due to advancing age.

The National Council of Veteran Associations first placed this matter before the Honourable Gerald Merrithew when he was Minister of Veterans Affairs in 1989. A partial solution wasfound in 1992 with amendments to the Merchant Navy Benefits Act. Despite assurances to the contrary, these benefits did not compare favourably with those available to members of the regular forces.

The amendments now being prepared for Parliamentary approval appear at long last to be recognizing the Merchant Navy Veterans as War Veterans, and as such they would qualify for similar benefits.

As their average age is now 80 plus, it is not felt that many will benefit from the amendments. Moreover, Veterans Affairs officials have confirmed that they expect very few applications under the amended legislation.

"Their big loss," Chadderton told the meeting of Merchant Navy Veterans, "can be made up now only by the Government making grants to them in lieu of the compensation which was denied this group for more than 50 years."