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Native veteran demands apology, compensation
By The Canadian Press
Regina - A man who fought in the Korean War is seeking
leave to launch a class-action lawsuit against the federal
government on behalf of aboriginal veterans.
Victor Daniels wants an apology and $125,000 in federal
compensation for every First Nations veteran who was
denied benefits because they were Indian and lived on
reserves.
Daniels, 74, said the $20,000 compensation package
Ottawa has offered aboriginal veterans isn't good enough.
'We are not happy with that offer," Daniels said.
"After we came home from the war, you might say they put
us back into a concentration camp, which was the reserve.
We didn't like that."
The Court of Queen's Bench application for certification
of their class action will be heard Jan. 29.
About 1,800 former servicemen and surviving spouses
across Canada are eligible for compensation. They have
until Feb. 15, 2003 to decide whether to accept Ottawa's
offer and waive their right to sue.
Their other option is to join Daniels' proposed
class-action.
"We were supposed to get what the white veterans got
because we fought in the wars and in the trenches along
with them, and we didn't get that. In fact, some of us didn't
get anything because the Indian agents said we didn't need
it."
Federal lawyer Mark Kindrachuk said aboriginal war
veterans were provided with options and had to choose the
different benefits they would receive as returning
servicemen.
"They received the same benefits as the others did," he said,
explaining a portion of the $6,000 non-native soldiers
received was a loan to buy farm land, which had to be
repaid.
"Our position is the benefits were available to all First
Nations veterans. But the benefits were not automatic, you
had to apply for them and have your application approved,"
Kindrachuk said.
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