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On December 12, 2003, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed a new Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable John McCallum.

Minister McCallum is the Member of Parliament for Markham, Ontario. He was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2000. Before being appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs, he served as Minister of National Defence. This position gave him great insight into the special needs and concerns of Canada's former and still-serving military personnel. In that portfolio, Minister McCallum brought forward Bill C-44, An Act to compensate military members injured during service. It made sure that all members of the Canadian Forces, regardless of rank, were entitled to the same full coverage for accidental death and dismemberment attributable to service. He also made sure that former members of the Canadian Forces who suffered accidental death and dismemberment in the past while on duty were entitled to receive retroactive benefits up to $250,000.

"My father was a veteran of the Second World War," says Minister McCallum. "His participation in the liberation of the Netherlands gave me, from a very early age, a personal appreciation for the sacrifices made by Canada's veterans. This appreciation deepened and became more focussed during the 18 months that I had the great privilege of working with the men and women of the Canadian Forces. A first priority for Veterans Affairs Canada is the modernization of our services and benefits. To this end, we are looking to review our oldest and largest program, the disability pension program. Another priority is to better engage communities and young Canadians in acts of remembrance."

We hope to bring you more news from Minister McCallum in future issues of Salute!