OTTAWA - Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn says the Conservative government is only cleaning up the mess the Liberals left behind when it comes to benefits -- or lack of them -- for injured soldiers.
Both the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois grilled Blackburn on Tuesday over leaked documents obtained by The Canadian Press, which show Ottawa set out in 2006 to save up to $40 million a year through an overhaul of veterans' benefits.
"This new charter was adopted under the Liberal government's rein and not ours," Blackburn told the House of Commons.
"I don't know what they meant to do, whether they meant to save at the expense of our veterans, but that is not our intention."
The charter, which replaced a series of benefits dating back to the Second World War, was introduced by Paul Martin's Liberal government in the spring of 2005 and passed with all-party support. It did not come in to force until the following April when it was enacted by the Conservative government.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has been under fire for months, accused of short-changing veterans on benefits and allowing bureaucrats to smear critics using confidential medical records.
Outgoing veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran has complained for months that federal bureaucrats have penny-pinched soldiers and stymied his requests to improve benefits.
Roughly 3,500 pages of leaked documents dating back to 2006 and obtained by The Canadian Press show the Veterans Affairs Department knew from the outset the charter would mean less money for injured soldiers. The charter replaced life-time pensions with a combination of lump sum payments and income support.
Bureaucrats were projecting savings of $40 million per year within six years of the charter being enacted.
The Conservative recently promised to pump $2 billion into veterans benefits, but Stogran pointed out Tuesday that none of the new money is retroactive and will only be there for new claims entering the system.
Liberal veterans critic Kirsty Duncan said the Conservatives have had plenty of time to recognize the problem and do something about it.
"Why did it take the government four years to fix their mistake?" Duncan asked.
Bloc Quebecois MP Guy Andre called on Blackburn to reinstate the life-time monthly pensions and said veterans have received "appalling" treatment.
An independent actuarial study of the charter, commissioned by the ombudsman's office, determined that the most severely disabled soldiers in the lower ranks are at the most disadvantage under the new system.
Blackburn promised changes are coming to the system of lump sum payments, but suggested the government might offer soldiers the choice of taking the money up front or over time.
The biggest problem, according to the ombudsman's study, is that the total amount -- $276,000 -- is far too small to allow veterans to make up for the loss of a life-time pension.
