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LETTER TO THE EDITOR6 March 2013URGENT CALL TO CANADIANS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATESince 1926 The Royal Canadian Legion has been a dedicated advocate of Veterans’ issuesand we continue with this mission with the upmost pride and integrity. As the DominionPresident, I am elected and committed to ensure that all Veterans and their families aretreated with respect, dignity and fairness, and that they have access to the programs andbenefits they deserve. Today, we are facing a situation where Canadian Veterans and theirfamilies are not receiving proper benefits at a time when they need it most.In 1921, when the Last Post Fund was federally incorporated and began receivingGovernment funding, the Government of Canada assumed responsibility and obligation toensure all veterans receive a dignified funeral. However today, The Royal Canadian Legioncontinues to be dismayed by the inaction of this Government to bring the long overdueimprovements to funeral and burial benefits for Veterans and their families. Canada’sVeterans are crumbling under the weight of disrespect shown to them by the Governmentthey served to uphold. There should be no doubt that the issue of adequate funeral andburial support is an urgent issue for World War II and Korean War Veterans. The majority ofthese men and women are in their 90s. But it will also be an issue for today’s Veterans andthose in the future.On 31 January 2013, The Royal Canadian Legion launched a national letter writingcampaign. Since the launch of our campaign, countless letters have gone to our Members ofParliament of all parties, by email, fax and mail. In response to our letters, the Government issaying that they are contributing more than $3,600 for a Veterans funeral, in some cases ashigh as $10,000. This is misleading Veterans and their families and the Canadian public.This issue is about the maximum amount provided for the funeral services grant which is$3,600 to cover the costs for a simple and dignified funeral service including: funeral servicedirector, casket or urn, preparation of the body, the use of a room for viewing, the use of

vehicle and gravesite services. This is not about the burial costs, as the government willprovide reimbursement for the cheapest plot and as such this cost is not included in thisgrant. The Government should not be combining the two benefits. When the funeralservices grant is added to the burial costs, this confuses the issue.These are three key issues that need to be resolved:1. The rate of $3,600 provided to cover the cost of funeral services is greatlyinadequate and has not been increased since 2001. There is no cost of livingincrease provided. Thus the assistance provided from the Government does notmeet the needs of Veterans and their families, especially in cases of financialdifficulty. Also, the prescriptive nature of itemized amounts for specific aspects offuneral services is bureaucratic and overly complicated, delays reimbursement anddenies flexibility in funeral planning for families. As this Government is so wont tosay, “We need to reduce the red tape”.2. The survivor estate exemption was reduced in 1995 from $24,030 to $12,015 aspart of Government budget reductions. The rate is too low and has no mechanism toadjust for cost of living increases. This means that a surviving spouse would not beeligible for benefits if the Veteran’s estate is valued at more than $12,015. ManyVeterans and their families are excluded from this process as this amount isconsiderably less than the poverty level.3. The eligibility for funeral and burial benefits should be granted to low income post-Korean War Veterans. The exclusion from eligibility of Veterans from this program isof grave concern to the Legion. These Veterans are prepared to lay their lives on theline for our country and they deserve a dignified funeral. It is the last and most fittingtribute we as Canadians can provide them. The case of this occurring to a homelessVeteran provides a very sad example. These few Veterans should not be left to fallthrough the cracks.These three issues have been on the table since 2004:• fully analysed in the Veterans Ombudsman’s 2009 Report (Serve with Honour,Depart with Dignity),• fully supported by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs Report2011 (Commemoration in the 21st Century),• fully supported by 17 Veterans organizations that unanimously endorsed therequirement for immediate improvements in 2011 and 2012; and lastly• fully supported by the over 330,000 members of The Royal Canadian Legion at our2008, 2010 and 2012 national conventions as a high priority issue.

The Government says that they cannot afford to improve this program. The Legion believesthe Government is unwilling to improve this program. While the war-time Veteransconsisted of approximately one million Veterans in 1945, most served a six-year period andare of a concentrated age distribution. There are more than 594,500 veterans who haveserved since the Korean War and are represented by a broad age distribution. Additionally,many of these Veterans served as a career and are in receipt of Canadian Forces pensionsand other benefits that would exclude them from consideration for insufficiency of funds.Although expanded eligibility will require ongoing funding, the annual reference level willcontinue to drop dramatically over the next 5-7 years with the declining WWII and KoreanWar Veteran population. This means that from a financial perspective, making changes tothis program will not be a tremendous ongoing burden to the Government. With anexpanded eligibility to low income post-Korean War Veterans, over the longer term, therewill not be the same annual demand on this benefit, again not a significant financial burdento the Government. In 2012 the Last Post Fund provided assistance to 1,326 war-timeVeterans. However, in 2012 – only 12 CF Veterans, who are excluded from this program,were assisted with donations.We welcome any and all Canadians who wish to support this campaign to send a letter toyour Member of Parliament demanding government action to ensure a dignified funeralservice is provided for our most vulnerable Veterans and to support their families in thistime of need. A suggested letter is available on the Legion website at www.legion.ca. Youcan print this letter and mail it, or e-mail directly to your Member of Parliament.Our Veterans and their families deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for theirservice to our country. As a proud Canadian, I have not forgotten our Veterans and theirfamilies, and The Legion never will.Lest We Forget,Gordon MooreDominion PresidentThe Royal Canadian LegionFor further information please contact Bruce Poulin at Dominion Command, The RoyalCanadian Legion at (613) 591-3335 ext. 241 or by cell at (613) 292-8760.File: 44-13 060313