Forty years after a deadly grenade explosion at a camp for military cadets, the Canadian Armed Forces still doesn’t give its youth-in-uniform the same health and disability benefits as regular personnel. Now, as the Star’s Allan Woods reports, a new report from Armed Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne is calling on the government to improve the compensation for cadets who are injured or killed on duty. Canada should take heed — however belatedly — and provide today’s cadets with supports similar to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence. That much was obvious back in 1974, after the explosion in the Valcartier camp north of Quebec City killed six cadets and left 54 badly injured and maimed. Only those whose parents took the government to court were compensated.

Source: thestar January 30, 2017 10:52 UTC