OTTAWA, ON, October 23, 2003 - Cliff Chadderton, Chairman of the 47-member National Council of Veteran Associations, today called for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Minister Rey Pagtakhan. The grounds for this serious proposal was that the Minister had what Chadderton called "misled" his colleagues in Parliament and - - thus the Canadian public.

Chadderton was referring to an announcement by Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, Minister of Veterans Affairs, in the House of Commons on May 12th of this year, concerning the continuation of widows special allowances.

In answer to a statement from Mr. Bob Wood (Liberal Nipissing Member), Pagtakhan said and we quote, "I am pleased to announce today my intention to address a number of Canada's veterans" urgent needs, including the extension of the Veterans Independence Program for life for surviving spouses." 

"The Minister's statement about continuing monthly grants for groundskeeping and housekeeping if the widow is in her home is, in our view, 'a classical lie'," Chadderton said.

"We have no evidence to indicate that the Minister was intentionally misleading his colleagues in the House and the public," he continued.

"On the other hand, he holds the portfolio of Minister of Veterans Affairs and when he states, and I quote again, 'extension of the Veterans Independence Program for life for surviving spouses' he is guilty of outright deception," Chadderton added.

The statement concerned Veterans Affairs Regulations and did not require a legislative change. The Minister did, however, mislead the veterans and their spouses (and his own Members of Parliament) by indicating that the Veterans Independence Program would be continued for life for widows.

"He conveniently omitted to state that the change in Regulations, which paid Veterans Independence Program benefits for widows, would apply only to those widows whose husbands died after the promulgation of the Regulations - - that is, May 13, 2003," Cliff Chadderton stated.

Chadderton said that it was very difficult to understand how a Minister, who was responsible for the release of a press announcement regarding benefits for widows, could have permitted his Departmental officials to issue a news release dated May 12, 2003, which stated as follows:

"These changes also recognize the value of lifelong caregiving that has been provided to Veterans with disabilities by their spouses." 

When those widows, now well into their 80's, heard the news over the media that they were to be compensated for having looked after their husbands, in some cases for as many as 60 years, they were understandably pleased.

It does not take much imagination, however, to realize their disappointment when they heard that the benefit would apply only if the veteran died after May 12th of this year.

"In The War Amps, we have some 600 widows who looked after the most severely disabled veterans who came back from the war," Chadderton said.

"They gave up all of their adult lives to care for these veterans, providing assistance to these veterans - - the kind of help they would have needed had they been committed to hospitals," he added.

"The War Amps and their widows are completely baffled by an announcement which cuts them out of a benefit but says that if the widow’s husband dies after May 12th, that benefit will apply," Chadderton continued.

The transcript for the debates in the House of Commons for May 12th quotes the Minister as saying: "I am pleased to announce today my intention to address a number of Canada's veterans' urgent needs, including the extension of the Veterans Independence Program for surviving spouses." 

"It is an indication that this Minister has completely failed in his duty to provide needed assistance for the most worthy group under his care - - that is, the widows of those veterans who came back from the war and were totally disabled," Chadderton said.

On October 2, 2003, it was reported that Prime Minister Chretien promised to review the matter and investigate ways of raising the necessary money.

The War Amps executive expressed "utter shame" that the staff of Veterans Affairs would have devised a program which ignores the caregiving that has been extended by the wives of the blind and the maimed and, at the same time, state that there is a very real concern for veterans when the new Regulations will cover only those widows whose husbands die after the Government announcement of May 12, 2003.

"The question now is whether the Department intentionally misled Parliament. In previous discussions, veterans organizations were told specifically that there were no funds to extend groundskeeping and housekeeping allowances to widows if the veteran had already died. It seems obvious that the Minister did not want to open a discussion on this issue. Accordingly, the statements by the Minister and in the news release conveniently stated that widows would benefit in broad terms, but omitted any reference to the fact that those whose husbands had died prior to May 12th would not benefit," Chadderton said. "In fact, the first words in the news release state that the Department will extend the period of grounds maintenance and housekeeping for surviving spouses of veterans to a lifetime. There is no reference whatsoever to the fact that those widows whose husbands died before May 12th of this year would be denied the benefit. A serious oversight by the Minister."

Mr. Chadderton has written to the Minister, pointing out that there are four classes of widows where the husband was:
 

• on war veterans allowance (without a pensionable disability);
• pensioners in receipt of pensions below 48%;
• pensioners from 48% but less than 100%, and
• finally, the most seriously disabled who have carried disabilities of 100% practically since their demobilization and, in addition, have been granted extra funds because they were classified as being exceptionally incapacitated and in need of special home care.

"We have no compunction in calling for the immediate resignation of Minister Pagtakhan, on the basis that he does not understand the needs of the most deserving widows - - that is, those who stepped in and took over the Government’s responsibility to care for totally disabled veterans for the rest of their lives, if the veteran decided to remain in a household with their wives," Chadderton concluded.

In calling for his resignation, the Chairman, speaking for the 47 members of the National Council, has written to the Minister. A copy of this letter is available on this Web site.