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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ombudsman’s Office Releases 2004–2005 Annual Report

Ottawa, June 10, 2005—The DND/CF Ombudsman Office’s marked seven years of operations with the release of its 2004–2005 Annual Report, which was tabled in the House of Commons yesterday.

“Our latest Annual Report reflects an unprecedented level of success,” stated Ms. Barbara Finlay, Director General of Operations for the Office of the DND/CF Ombudsman. “It demonstrates our success not only in resolving individual problems, but also in terms of bringing about long-lasting and systemic change.”

“Successful resolution of a problem is, in itself, its own reward,” remarked Ms. Finlay. She cited the many veterans of the chemical warfare agent testing and their families that the Office has helped in obtaining their compensation. The Office also worked to resolve complaints by some widows who had been refused compensation because their husbands died without a will. Last month, the Office’s efforts were rewarded when the Minister of National Defence announced changes to the chemical warfare agent testing recognition program to allow adults, who lived with an eligible veteran at the time of his death, to claim the payment of $24,000.

The Annual Report also details how the Ombudsman’s Office has been proactive in helping the CF make strides in improving the Board of Inquiry (BOI) process. “It all began with special investigations into two separate BOIs and the pitfalls they encountered. However, through compiling the lessons learned and promoting these findings to newly formed BOIs, this Office has been able to help the DND/CF to learn from the past,” stated Ms. Finlay.

Some files, however, remain unresolved. For example, many disabled former Canadian Forces members still face unfair clawbacks. The military’s long-term disability insurance plan is supposed to provide disabled former CF members with 75% of their salary if they become disabled during service. However, members with serious disabilities end up with much less income than they expected because the amount of their Veterans Affairs disability pension is clawed back from their monthly insurance benefit.

“The inequity of the Service Income Security Insurance Plan has effectively created a two-tier system – there are those who are totally disabled and cannot serve versus those who have only minor disabilities and can return to the Canadian Forces,” explained Ms. Barbara Finlay, Director General of Operations for the Office of the DND/CF Ombudsman. “Unfortunately, those who are more severely disabled face greater financial hardship.”

The Office received 1,793 new complaints and 124 requests for information during 2004–2005. For more information or to view the 2004–2005 Annual Report online, refer to our website (www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca).

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For more information/inquiries, contact:

Barbara Theobalds
Director, Communications and Media Relations
Office of the Ombudsman for DND/CF
Tel.: (613) 992-6962

Isabelle Rodier
Communications Project Manager
Office of the Ombudsman for DND/CF
Tel.: (613) 995-8643

Backgrounder

Ombudsman’s Office: Year in Review

The Ombudsman’s Office serves to contribute to substantial and long-lasting improvements in the welfare of employees and members of the DND and CF community. Over the past year, the Office has raised the bar by taking a proactive approach.

With the announcement of the establishment of a Board of Inquiry into the HMCS Chicoutimi incident, we offered to provide a briefing to the Board on lessons that had been learned with respect to improving the Board of Inquiry process and conducting thorough, open and transparent investigations. The offer was readily accepted. The session focussed on three main themes: principles of effective investigations; information and support for families; as well as ensuring openness and transparency. It was an apparent success, as the Office has subsequently provided two other such briefings to newly formed Boards of Inquiry.

The Annual Report provides updates on issues that were reported in previous special reports or annual reports, as well as on reports released during the year. This year, there are updates provided on compensating those who were subjected to chemical warfare agents, on former Cpl Christian McEachern’s ongoing battle as well as on continued delays in the grievance system.

During the 2004–2005 fiscal year, the Office released four special reports:

From Tents to Sheets
When a Soldier Falls
Review of Board of Inquiry Examining Serious Injury
Making Things Right.

Updates on the special reports the Office intends to release in this fiscal year are also provided in the Annual Report:

Following-up on the CF’s Treatment of Members Suffering from Operational Stress Injuries
Environmental Exposure
Unfair Treatment of CF Snipers During Operation Apollo
Systemic Investigation into the CF Recruiting System.

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