Security may stand in way of benefits
Secret military missions
a journalist
CanWest News Service
Monday, July 18, 2005
Canadian soldiers serving on clandestine missions or with allied forces in the war on terrorism could find themselves fighting an uphill battle to receive disability benefits if injured, a military official has warned.
The concern follows an incident this year in which the intense secrecy surrounding the Joint Task Force 2 special forces unit allegedly prevented one of its injured commandos from obtaining benefits since he could not produce the necessary details about his case.
"The situation is not unique to JTF2," Major Denis Pelletier, assigned to the office that deals with supporting injured military personnel, warned in a February e-mail. "Additionally, CF members serving with allied forces also face the same security restrictions."
The documents were released to the Ottawa Citizen under the Access to Information law.
"It is likely that this problem will only get worse with time as the war on terrorism ... [words censored for security reasons] ... become more the norm than the exception," the Major added in his e-mail.
It is unclear how many Canadians are working behind the scenes in specialized missions or assigned to other Western militaries in the battle against terrorism. Members of the Ottawa-based JTF2 have been in Afghanistan on and off over the past three years.
Other Canadian troops have served with U.S. and British units during the war in Iraq and its aftermath. In addition, Canadians are serving on board AWACS surveillance aircraft used to support U.S. and coalition efforts in various missions.
On Thursday, Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier confirmed that JTF2 commandos will be part of a new Canadian force that in the coming months will hunt down "radical murderers and killers" in Afghanistan. Comparing terrorists with Nazis and "detestable murderers and scumbags," Gen. Hillier said the recent bombings in London show there can be no let-up in the war on terrorism.
Canadian Forces officials say after Maj. Pelletier's concerns were raised, they looked into the matter and came to the conclusion the current administrative system can handle disability situations with personnel involved in secret operations. Lieutenant-Colonel David Wrather, director of casualty support and administration, said soldiers mainly need to establish they were injured in work-related duty and do not have to go into specifics about what they were doing or the location where the incident happened.
He said, for instance, that if military members, such as those assigned to the secretive Communications Security Establishment, were injured, they would not be required to produce specific details about their mission.
"If they were on some sort of intelligence operation that did not allow them to say where they were or exactly what they were doing, that's not germane to the accident report and the information that Veterans' Affairs Canada needs to adjudicate on a pension," explained Lt.-Col. Wrather.
In addition, troops deployed overseas in small numbers with foreign militaries have their own Canadian officials to take care of their administrative needs and to shepherd any documentation for injury claims. In other cases, if a detailed investigation is needed, then a board of inquiry could be convened and that could hear sensitive information behind closed doors.
The issue about what happens to those injured in the war on terrorism was raised earlier this year by Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant. Ms. Gallant went to bat for a JTF2 soldier after he ran into difficulties trying to get a disability pension for injuries suffered during training. The unit's draconian secrecy rules prevented the release of information needed to support his claim, according to Ms. Gallant, whose riding includes Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
Lt.-Col. Wrather said after Ms. Gallant brought the issue forward his officials met with JTF2 officers to make sure the unit understood the process available to them. "My organization is geared to be an advocate for the [military] member," he said.
Ms. Gallant said she has followed up on the case of the JTF2 soldier and is satisfied he is now being taken care of.
Lt.-Col. Wrather said the Canadian Forces is in the process of producing a casualty administration manual to outline the specific responsibilities various military offices have to the troops. That manual is expected to be ready by the end of the year.
© National Post 2005
