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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Financial ruin for military families
As National Defence, Treasury Board can't agree
OTTAWA -- At least 146 military families have suffered severe financial hardship because National Defence and the federal Treasury Board differ in their interpretation of an assistance program, federal documents show.
The disagreement involves a home-equity assistance program available to members of the military who move frequently and run the risk of taking a bath on sales of their properties.
Compensation is supposed to be available when a member is required to transfer and sells a home in a depressed housing market, but the two departments are at odds over the definition of market.
Internal records show between 2007 and 2010, 146 applications involving tens of thousands of dollars each were rejected by the Treasury Board, despite having the support of National Defence.
Military officials have been arguing for years without success for the policy to be tweaked.
The controversy surfaces weeks after Defence Minister Peter MacKay forced an end to a similar dispute between his department and Treasury Board, when the agency that controls federal purse strings held up improved insurance payouts to reservists who lose limbs on duty.
It also comes days after MacKay capped rent increases for newer members of the military, who live on bases across the country.
New Democrat defence critic Jack Harris said the situation is shocking and must be demoralizing for those in uniform. "The soldier has no choice but to move and he's taking a loss that's been imposed on him by the military," Harris said Thursday.
"They have a policy that says he's to be reimbursed, yet he's not. This is incompetence in following through on a policy that, first of all, makes sense, that has an element of justice in it because of the demands of the military."
National Defence was asked for comment in mid-December and did not respond until late Thursday after the story appeared online.
In an email, spokeswoman Laura MacIntyre restated the government's policy and hinted about potential changes, but said she couldn't talk about them because of cabinet secrecy.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 4, 2013 A15
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