Civilian advisers who served in Afghanistan deserve compensation now, ombudsman says

Canada's military ombudsman is calling on the Department of National Defence (DND) to make an exception and offer special compensation to former language and cultural advisers who served alongside Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Gregory Lick is issuing his call for compensation as Canada marks the 10th anniversary of its military withdrawal from the country's longest-ever war.

In a letter sent last week to Defence Minister Bill Blair, Lick said there's precedent for special compensation. He cited the federal government's decision in 2017 to pay cadets injured in a 1974 grenade explosion at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier in Quebec.

"Ministerial authority has been used in the past to address gaps in care and coverage for those who found themselves in situations where they did not have access to commensurate benefits and services to those who they served alongside," Lick said in the letter, dated March 8, 2024 and obtained by CBC News.

Lick and Blair met at the end of February to discuss the plight of the advisers, who are Canadian citizens of Afghan descent.

They were recruited directly by the Department of National Defence between 2002 and 2009. Many Canadian soldiers and experts say that without their help in the field, the army could not have engaged with guerilla warfare in Afghanistan.

Even though they wore uniforms, the advisers were civilian contractors, not soldiers. Many of them returned home from Afghanistan injured and broken.

They were permitted to apply for federal health benefits only within six months of their return. Unlike soldiers, they did not qualify for Veterans Affairs services.

CBC News first profiled the plight of the advisers in the fall of 2019. DND subsequently agreed to support an effort to get them benefits through the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), which is where injured federal employees get sent.

But many of the advisers' claims were denied by the WSIB. Critics complained that the board had no experience in dealing with injuries sustained in a war zone.

The Canadian Forces ombudsman is dealing with about 65 cases of advisers whose claims were denied.

"I strongly believe that we have an obligation for their health, well-being, and financial support," Lick wrote. "They made a decisive impact to CAF operations, but many have suffered significantly, and in silence, since then."

The claim adjudications that took place before WSIB "were not positive, nor representative of their sacrifice to Canada," Lick added.

The WSIB is covering some advisers' medical costs going forward. But it's not reimbursing them for out-of-pocket medical expenses, lost earnings or other benefits related to the time before their claims were approved.