The CMEA and our parent association, the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), fully support the recent federal response to the third report from the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. The government has laid out a process to implement recommendations from the report, The New Veteran's Charter: Moving Forward, and will initially take action to address issues surrounding veterans who are seriously ill or wounded and their families. Full details are included in the attached report from the CDA.

THE CONFERENCE OF DEFENCE ASSOCIATIONS (CDA) APPLAUDS THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA'S INITIAL RESPONSE TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS' (SCVA) REPORT: THE NEW VETERANS CHARTER - MOVING FORWARD.

Ottawa, 2 October 2014. The CDA, representing 51 associations across Canada, notes that the Government of Canada's initial response to the SCVA's third report entitled "The New Veterans Charter - Moving Forward" lays out a two-stage process designed to implement the recommendations of the report, and is very pleased that action will be taken, in the first stage, to immediately address important issues affecting Veterans who are seriously ill or critically injured, and their families.

The CDA is also highly supportive of the Government of Canada's decision to not medically release military members from the Canadian Armed Forces before they are medically stabilized, to design a process whereby the needs of the seriously ill or injured Veteran determines how many are assigned to one case manager, and to address the current differences in benefits between Veterans of the Regular Force and those of the Reserve Force.

The CDA also notes that as part of the second stage of its initial response, the Government believes that a number of SCVA recommendations require further examination and, due to their complex nature, require greater consultation and coordination by and between several government departments, including Veterans Affairs, National Defence, Finance and Treasury Board.

The CDA strongly encourages the Government of Canada to further address the injured Veterans' financial benefits for life, and to set as non-taxable and inflation-protected the earnings loss benefit at 85% of net income.

Please direct any enquiries to Peter Forsberg, Public Affairs Officer, or to Tony Battista, Executive Director of the CDA, or call 613-236-1252.