Vets to learn today of disability lawsuit

Veterans suing for pensions over lump sums

OTTAWA — The government’s treatment of injured veterans will be under the spotlight today when a B.C. court rules whether a landmark lawsuit filed by six disabled ex-soldiers can proceed.

The case, known as Equitas, revolves around a decision in 2006 to replace pensions for disabled vets with a lump-sum payment, career training and targeted income-replacement programs. The veterans, who launched their lawsuit five years ago, allege those changes discriminate against today’s service members because the previous pension system provided more financial support over a lifetime.

They want the government to bring back the disability pensions, or at least something equivalent.

While the pension changes and lawsuit were launched under the previous Conservative government, Monday’s ruling could have major implications for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

That’s because Trudeau campaigned with Equitas members in 2015, and the Liberals were the only party that promised to reinstate pensions.

But two years later, that commitment remains unfulfilled. And while the government has said it will provide more details by the end of the year, many veterans are worried that it will fall far short of what was promised.

Meanwhile, the Liberals have continued to fight the lawsuit, which the Harper Conservatives appeared on the verge of settling before losing the election.

Monday’s ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal has been a long time coming; a panel of three judges has been weighing since June 2016 whether the case has enough merit to proceed.

Lawyer Don Sorochan, who represents the Equitas veterans, says a ruling in favour of his clients would represent a big step forward, but that there will be many more proceedings before victory can be declared.

“Legally, it goes back into the grind,” he said, saying the next step would likely be to see whether the case can be certified as a class-action lawsuit.