Mr. Speaker, at 8.45 a.m. on December 6, 1917, at the height of World War I, the Belgian relief vessel Imo collided with the French munitions carrier Mont Blanc in Halifax harbour, resulting in the greatest man made explosion this country has ever witnessed. Out of a population of less than 50,000 over 1,600 died and 9,000 were injured.
Today, with only nine pensionable survivors still living, could the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell the House when the federal government will make good on its commitment to provide cost of living increases to these pensioners?