NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
Organisation canadienne des vétérans de l’OTAN
A Voice for today’s Veterans ~ Une voix pour les vétérans d’aujourd’hui
Press Release
Updated - April 22 2013
For Immediate Release
OTTAWA. ONTARIO (April 22, 2013)
NATO VETERANS ORGANIZATION OF CANADA DEPLORES DND CLAWBACK OF DANGER PAY FOR CANADIAN FORCES PERSONNEL DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN (MAZAR-I-SHARIF)
The NATO Veterans Organization of Canada is greatly perturbed by information coming out of Ottawa this morning claiming that the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) intends to claw back the danger pay of our troops deployed in the northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
In the face of strong opposition from the Canadian public and that of the NVOC, the Prime Minister last week ordered the re-examination of a recommendation made by an ‘inter-ministerial panel of civil servants’ who wanted to reduce the danger pay of Canadian Armed Forces members deployed on missions such as Afghanistan. The CAF and DND did a quick about-turn on this recommendation, no doubt due to the fact that their political masters in the PMO found that this reduction to danger pay was not palatable to the Canadian public and openly detracted from the governments stated aim of supporting our troops.
Today, we are hearing reports that in 2012 this very committee evaluated the risk and hardship allowance rates for Mazar-i-Sharif and other locations within Afghanistan and behind closed doors, agreed to reduce specific rates. NVOC finds this unacceptable and misguided. Afghanistan remains a country in turmoil and NATO forces still face many deadly risks. For our soldiers, the threat from militant insurgents is always present; however, increasingly there are incidents where members of the Afghan security forces turn their weapons on members of the ISAF coalition.
Can the government not for once and all, recognize that when our CAF personnel are deployed in places such as Afghanistan that they face a real and present danger. They are pursing the policy aims of the country; they are doing our bidding and they deserve to be treated respectfully by the politician and the bureaucrat; for the soldier does what neither will do. There is a social, moral and legal obligation on behalf of the government to pay our soldiers and this decision to seek repayment for danger pay is shameful.
Let us also recognize that no matter where our soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan they can be moved from location to location as the military assessment dictates, therefore risk and hardship remains a constant across the country. Does this committee expect that there will be a finance officer following the soldiers with a calculator to determine what their level of pay will be? While cost containment is a stated aim of the Government, NVOC firmly believes that we cannot afford to see this done on the backs of our soldiers – the very people that the Government sends into harm’s way.
Let us as a country recognize their efforts and not allow the bureaucrats to nickel and dime them for the important contributions that they make. We urge all Canadians to contact their Member of Parliament in addition to the Prime Minister as well as the Minister of National Defence and send a strong signal that our CAF personnel deserve danger pay for the risks and hardships that they face in doing the work of a grateful nation.
NVOC will continue its efforts to see that the modern day veteran is recognized and treated with dignity and respect.
For media enquiries please contact
Gordon Jenkins
E mail : gordjenkins@sympatico.ca
Phone 613 723 1581
Last modified
April 22 2013