moved for leave to introduce Bill C-247, an act to provide compensation to first nations veterans on a comparable basis to that given to other war veterans.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of first nations veterans all across the country, given that we are coming close to Remembrance Day, I think it is very fitting we present this bill that would call for the House of Commons and for Parliament to revisit the compensation package for first nations veterans.
The recommendations of the task force were that first nations veterans should receive $140,000 to $350,000 in compensation in lieu of the benefits they would have received were they not aboriginal. The compensation package the federal government gave them was $20,000 per person and they had to sign a waiver that they could not ask for any more.
The bill would actually reopen the negotiations and allow the government to compensate first nations veterans fairly.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)