Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to respond to the motion this afternoon.
I commend the member for his efforts in keeping this issue alive but, unfortunately, I think many of the things that he has put forward in the motion are somewhat misguided and not always reliant entirely on the facts in terms of what the government has been doing in this regard.
The history of first nations, Métis and Inuit military service is quite remarkable and, when called, of course Canada's aboriginal veterans answered the call by the thousands. They served nobly in all three major wars of the last century.
The first world war, with its trench warfare, its poison gas and its machine guns, destroyed virtually a full generation of young Canadian men. Among them were at least 300 aboriginal Canadian soldiers.
Over four years, aboriginal Canadian soldiers participated and earned medals for valour in practically every major land battle.
More than 200 native Canadian soldiers were killed or died from their wounds during the second world war. Natives earned a minimum of 18 decorations for bravery in action. They participated in every major battle and campaign, including the disastrous Dieppe landings and the pivotal Normandy invasion.
They also served in one of the worst imaginable theatres, Hong Kong, where just under 2,000 members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada became prisoners of war of the Japanese. Included among them were at least 16 Indians and Métis, nine of whom died from wounds or illness.
Korea would see our aboriginal veterans answer the call to service as well.
It is for such service that all Canadians want to see that aboriginal veterans are treated with fairness and justice. If and where there has been elements of unfairness over time, we want to take steps to correct that unfairness. The government believes it has done just that.
In February 2000, some federal ministers invited the aboriginal veterans to come and discuss the treatment they received during and after the wars.
The National Round Table on First Nations Veterans Issues was created with the first nations veterans. Discussions took place with the National Métis Veterans Association on the subject of Métis veterans, and the National Aboriginal Veterans Association agreed to take part in a research project on the fate of non-status Indian veterans after the wars.
The grievances of aboriginal veterans relating to their treatment during and after the wars are very complex and have been examined and discussed many times in various fora over the recent past. The member opposite knows this full well.
At each discussion, the complexities become even more apparent. They are difficult matters to grasp, partially because they invariably require an understanding of issues that originated decades ago. A reading of history decades later can give rise to all sorts of legitimate misunderstandings and misinterpretations. In that reading, we are faced with different perspectives of different parties, which makes it difficult to respond in a manner that satisfies everyone.
In order to look at these issues in their context, we should examine the history of veterans' benefits offered to all who served in wartime. Here they are, in broad terms.
Every veteran who was honourably discharged was eligible for a war service allowance and a clothing allowance. In addition, if they met the eligibility criteria, veterans could choose one of the following options: first, a re-establishment credit , second, educational assistance, including retraining allowances, or third, assistance under the Veterans Land Act.
I am going to leave it to my colleagues to speak to some of the more substantial detail about how the application of these demobilization benefits played out over time.
There is no denying that for decades aboriginal veterans, that is to say first nations, Métis, non-status and Inuit, have felt that they were not treated fairly by the Government of Canada after the wars.
As I mentioned earlier, to better understand and respond to the concerns of first nations veterans, the federal government established a national round table in February 2000. Provisions were made for first nations veterans to research how various departments dealt with their requests for demobilization benefits after the wars, including, of course, Veterans Affairs Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs.
The round table also focused on collecting oral testimonies from first nations veterans, identifying acts, policies and programs available to veterans and to their spouses during and after the wars and of course gathering data on the names of first nations veterans.
There is no doubt from file reviews, research and discussions of the round table that first nations veterans received the demobilization benefits to which they were entitled after the wars. However, those who chose to return to their reserve communities after the wars had to deal with an extra layer of bureaucracy in order to receive their demobilization benefits. Veterans Affairs Canada provided the benefits for first nations veterans on reserve to their Indian agents, who in turn were to provide the benefits to the veterans.
In response to the report presented by the national round table, on June 21, 2002, the Government of Canada announced that it would provide $20,000 to each living first nations veteran who returned to a reserve after the wars or their living spouse.
Hon. members might recall that when the previous minister of veterans affairs made the announcement in the House, members of all political parties applauded the announcement. This tax free amount of $20,000 was, after all, consistent with other lump sum packages offered to other veterans' groups by the Government of Canada.
Veterans Affairs Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada have worked with the national round table working group in order to get the message out about the federal offer to the various first nations communities. Although the original application date closed on February 15, 2003, late applications have still been accepted. To date, 1,195 ex gratia payments have indeed been made.
The situation of Métis and non-status Indian veterans is not the same as that of first nations veterans who returned to the reserves, because they did not have to deal with a third party. Furthermore, access to assistance provided under the Veterans' Land Act had not been complicated by issues of inalienable reserves located on Crown land.
The federal government nonetheless established a separate process to deal with these concerns.
Substantial funding was provided to the National Métis Veterans Association and the National Aboriginal Veterans Association to deal with issues concerning Métis and non-status Indian veterans respectively. It was used to pursue fact-finding discussions to investigate what happened to these veterans after the wars, to compile listings of Métis and non-status Indian veterans, and to collaborate with government in researching their post-war experiences.
Evidence to date indicates that these veterans opted for and received the same demobilization benefits as other veterans. Should aboriginal veterans feel that they did not receive demobilization benefits they were entitled to after the wars, they should contact the department and their files will be reviewed on an individual basis.
Since the wording of Motion M-193 suggests that first nations, Métis and Inuit war veterans are in the same situation when it comes to compensation for veterans, it is appropriate to provide some information.
The offer of ex-gratia payments provided to first nations veterans was based in part on the fact that many of them who returned to the reserves after the wars were unable to deal directly with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Furthermore, the round table found that because of the extra layer of bureaucracy, the veterans did not receive all the benefits to which they were entitled.
This was not the case for Métis and other aboriginal veterans. Veterans Affairs Canada has precise records of the demobilization benefits paid directly to these veterans. Extensive file reviews have shown that the benefits paid to these veterans were the same as the benefits paid to non-aboriginal veterans. Of course, Veterans Affairs Canada will be pleased to review the files of any aboriginal veterans who feel they did not receive the benefits that were their due.