Thanos Thanos:
$1:
In 2005, Ottawa changed the way it calculates compensation for soldiers who are wounded in battle. Under the New Veterans Charter, vets are offered a lump sum payment instead of a lifetime pension.
Q: who was Prime Minister in 2005?
A: it wasn't Stephen Harper.
Just getting my two cents in before those veteran-loving Liberal supporters chime in.
Just like to get my two cents in that the law was passed by acclamation, so you can thank every MP in every party, no need to try and limit who to thank.
$1:
As for the veterans, well, whatever. It's not life the benefits got cut off altogether. They were streamlined into a lump-sum payment instead of a lifelong pension. Whether or not this is a good idea or a more efficient one is practically irrelevant.
A large issue is that compensation is capped at $260,000 (it changes up with inflation but that's the basic number), for a life time, while being 100% disabled.
Which means that a person that lost 3 limbs and will need life time care, and either new housing or renovations, gets 260k to make up for a life time of productive activity. And is expected to (and this a paraphrase from the veterans affairs people) 'Invest the money to ensure a lifetime income, to cover their disability related costs'.
I think that compensation that is identical to a workers compensation operated at the provincial level would be more acceptable. IE the mandate is to provide care as needed.
But I can see how you can save a lot of money with the lump sum plan. Pay them a one time payment, and then ignore them from then on because you have already given them the max amount. Saves on administrative costs in 40 years.
When the VA guys gave a talk about the new plan I asked them if they would like to exchange their workers compensation coverage for work related accidents with the new veteran's deal, and maybe they would try and get the whole federal government employees to switch too if it was so good.