TORONTO, ON, October 27, 2005 - The 54-member National Council of Veteran Associations, at its 75^th annual meeting in Toronto today, endorsed a PRIMETIME resolution requesting action on the part of the Government to deal with problems arising from legislation involving demobilization procedures. One was the establishment of a committee of review under the War Service Grants Act of January 1, 1945. The second was the questionable effect of an Order-in-Council of August 16, 1946 which permitted the Government to dispose of the records of veterans who were "deemed not to have served" in the Armed Forces.

Cliff Chadderton, Chairman of NCVA, stated the effect of either of these Government edicts could represent a major miscarriage of justice. He explained that in many cases a dishonourable discharge was given for minor crimes and also that the expunging of the service records under the "deemed not to have served" provision was applied in some cases where the veteran had good service but the Government had failed to make contact after such persons had left the discharge centres.

The NCVA resolution indicated that the problem had now been placed before the Government, in debates in the House of Commons and in letters from the Chairman of NCVA to the Honourable Albina Guarnieri, Minister of Veterans Affairs.

He described the situation affecting some deserving veterans as "chaotic." In speaking to the resolution, he suggested to his colleagues from the regimental and veterans' associations that the Government should recognize the disastrous effects on some veterans and their spouses in regard to a flawed system to dispose of the service records of those who refused to obey a conscription notice or were otherwise absent without leave at the end of the war. As well he proposed reconsideration for those who may have been given a dishonourable discharge for invalid reasons.

The NCVA agreed that, in that 2005 is the Year of Veteran, and with Remembrance Day fast approaching, the Government should dispense with attempts to gloss over the mistakes of former Governments and civil servants back in the days immediately following demobilization. "The Government should now pass legislation authorizing ex gratia grants to partially compensate those veterans considered as deserving for the loss to them of the benefits of the Government's Veterans Charter. This included legislation after World War II for employment, housing, training, purchasing businesses, purchasing farms and smallholding, and providing benefits in lieu of unemployment insurance," Chadderton stated.