Better compensation urged for military cadets
Deadly 1974 incident prompts calls for insurance, indemnity
MONTREAL— A deadly accident at a Quebec military base four decades ago has the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ombudsman urging the government to improve the compensation offered to young cadets who are injured or killed in the course of their activities.
In a report to the minister of defence to be made public Thursday, Gary Walbourne says Ottawa needs to ensure that cadets — young Canadians between 12 and 18 — get the same level of care and compensation available to Canadian Forces members or civilian employees who are injured or killed on duty.
The report was spurred by a 1974 incident at CFB Valcartier during which a grenade accidentally exploded during a training session. Six cadets were killed and dozens more were injured. Cadet supervisors involved in the incident were automatically compensated through existing insurance systems and had access to government programs, while cadets and their families were forced to rely on a less generous insurance plan and their provincial health systems.
Those who didn’t make a claim for extra compensation against the government were forced to pay out of pocket for care not covered under their provincial plans or to go with- out, the report says.
“Today’s cadets are still excluded from a prescribed suite of compensation and benefits available to their instructors,” Walbourne concludes.
“In the event of an accident resulting in death or a life-changing illness or injury, final recourse would still be through a legal claim against the Crown as it was in 1974.”
The ombudsman’s report makes four recommendations.
The first is that the government ensure cadets are compensated “in a manner that is commensurate” to members of the CAF. Currently, army, air and navy cadets are covered by Cadet League insurance plans and do not have access to long-term compensation or assistance through Veterans Affairs Canada or the Service Income Security Income Plan.
According to an analysis in the report, cadets who suffer a permanent impairment are eligible for a onetime payment of $20,000 if they are a youth member and $100,000 for adults. But full-time CAF members are eligible for a lump-sum payment of up to $250,000 under the same circumstances. In the event of a death, youth cadets are covered for $10,000, and benefits for adult cadets equal $50,000. But the death of a full-time soldier would result in a payment of up to $600,000 under their insurance plan.
The ombudsman’s report also recommends the government ensure identical benefits under the insurance plans for navy, army and air cadets. Currently, naval cadets have no coverage for funeral expenses; only army cadets are covered for grief-counseling sessions, psychological therapy and compensation for burns; and there are differing levels of compensation among the cadet groups for rehabilitation and alterations to homes and vehicles necessitated by injury, says the report. The ombudsman also recommends that the government ensure greater access to information about compensation and supplementary accident insurance coverage for cadets and their families, and is urging the defence ministry to put in place policies for staff cadets in paid leadership positions who are injured on the job. Staff cadets are not currently considered to be “employees” by the CAF, the report said.
“I believe that my recommendations are clear, concise and implementable. They will go a long way in restoring fairness for this vulnerable group. Our sons and daughters deserve that much,” Walbourne writes in a note accompanying his report.
It adds that the military plans to compare the levels of support provided to cadets with that of reserve force soldiers and analyze the process of helping those who become ill or are injured while conducting official cadet duties.