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Lawyers looking for thousands of families owed money by Veterans Affairs

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OTTAWA – Lawyers are trying to get in touch with hundreds of thousands of people who are owed money through a class-action lawsuit against Veterans Affairs.

The suit was launched after the Office of the Veterans Ombud found the government had been improperly calculating the disability benefits and pensions of its clients starting in 2003.

The government reached a settlement in January that is worth up to $817 million.

The problem was uncovered when the ombud looked over the department’s paperwork after the government made changes to the disability award in 2016.

It discovered Veterans Affairs had been failing to factor in the provincial basic tax credit in calculating provincial income tax, but when the department later realized and corrected the error, it did not notify or reimburse people who were underpaid.

At the time, the ombud believed around 270,000 veterans were shortchanged some $165 million in what it deemed an “accounting error.” The department pledged to issue corrective payments in 2018.

Michel Drapeau’s firm was among five law firms that eventually brought the class-action lawsuit in 2019.

The suit also claimed that Veterans Affairs had made other miscalculations, including failing to index payments to inflation.

“When we looked at it, we found in fact there were significantly more benefits that had not been properly indexed over a longer period,” he said.

Drapeau said the miscalculations actually went on for 21 years, from 2003 to 2023, meaning the number of eligible veterans was significantly more than initially believed.

Around 117,000 military and RCMP veterans who have a benefits or payment relationship with Veterans Affairs will get payouts from the department directly before December.

Another 215,000 eligible people have since died, and Drapeau said if their surviving family members don’t file a claim they will miss out on the payment.

The eligible claimants could be surviving spouses, common-law spouses, children, parents, siblings, nieces or nephews, or the veteran’s estate.

“We’re trying every means possible to let them know,” Drapeau said.

He said they’ve already launched a search for people on social media, through advertising campaigns and by contacting the Royal Canadian Legion. In addition, a mailout has been sent to the last known addresses of around 200,000 people.

On average, claims are worth about $2,500. According to the Federal Court settlement, 40 people are eligible for payments over $35,000 but most payments are less than $5,000.

Management and consulting firm KPMG has been hired to help people file their claims, which can be done online.

The federal government is responsible for the cost of administration of the claims and KPMG is not getting funding from the settlement itself.

The deadline to file a claim is March 19, 2025.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Bimbo Canada closing Quebec City bakery, affecting 141 workers

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MONTREAL – Bakery company Bimbo Canada says it’s closing its bakery in Quebec City by the end of the year, affecting about 141 workers.

The company says operations will wind down gradually over the next few months as it moves production to its other bakeries.

Bimbo Canada produces and distributes brands including Dempster’s, Villaggio and Stonemill.

It’s a subsidiary of Mexico-based Grupo Bimbo.

The company says it’s focused on optimizing its manufacturing footprint.

It says it will provide severance, personal counselling and outplacement services to affected employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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NDP to join Bloc in defeating Conservatives’ non-confidence motion

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OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.

The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.

Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.

If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.

Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.

“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.

“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”

Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.

The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.

Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.

“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.

At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.

Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.

“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.

“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.

“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”

A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.

The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.

The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.

If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.

“This is what we call power,” he said.

Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.

“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.

“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.



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Anita Anand sworn in as transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez resigns

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OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.

Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.

She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.

“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.

The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.

Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.

“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.

The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.

Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.

On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.

He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.

“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.

“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”

Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.

He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”

The next federal election must be held by October 2025.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.

Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.

Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.

As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”

Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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