TONIGHT’S JACKPOT
‘IT IS VERY UNUSUAL AND TROUBLING’ AG SLAMS TORIES OVER G8 {page 12}
$15
FIGHT CLUB CATWOMAN’S CLAWS COME OUT DISH {page 49}
TORONTO
Weekend, June 10-12, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Putting a price on Afghan lives
Air Canada. Rally
There’s no limit on ‘ex-gratia’ payments made to civilians caught in crossfire: Lawyer 2,000 Canadian troops remain in Afghanistan
Disgruntled Air Canada workers hold a rally Thursday at Pearson Airport. Hundreds of workers and labour rights activists rallied a day before one of Air Canada’s unions could serve notice of a strike. FRANK GUNN/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Workers threaten walkout
Air Canada customer service and sales staff are threatening to walk off the job Monday night if the airline doesn’t budge on key concessions. A proposal to change pension plans for new hires is a key issue as Air Canada and the Canadian Auto Workers union continue bargaining in Toronto. If bargaining fails, the airline said it plans to maintain full operations by implementing a contingency service to minimize the impact on customers.
The Canadian government has given out more than $1 million in goodwill payments to compensate hundreds of Afghans for deaths and damages incurred over the course of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. The sobering tally comes as Canadian troops prepare to leave Kandahar next month. While most would argue that the loss of human life can’t be measured in dollars and cents, the military has a long-standing policy of making one-time, no-stringsattached “ex-gratia” payments to those who suffer losses because of the actions of Canadian troops. The government has paid $1,047,946 to 453 people since 2005, according to figures provided by the Defence Department. The names of the recipients, as well as the circumstances that led to the compensation awards, are not disclosed in the public accounts documents or by the department. “It is not our policy to discuss in
$100 to $21,420 The settlements ranged from less than $100 to as much as $21,420 — a fortune in a country where the national gross domestic product is about $1,000 per person. The UN’s latest annual civilian casualty report found 2,777 Afghan civilians were killed in 2010, which was up from the year before. Of those deaths, 550 occurred in Kandahar, the epicentre of Canada’s war effort.
detail compensation to families,” spokesman Andrew McKelvey wrote in an email. “Payments are a private matter between all parties, and disclosure of recipients could put these individuals at risk of extortion or otherwise jeopardize their safety.” The Canadian military accepts documents signed by local elders
as proof in claims, but there must be evidence that Canadian troops were responsible. Canada also compensates for harm done during joint operations with the Afghan National Army when it is unclear which force is responsible. All payments are made in Afghanis, the local currency. Sums greater than $2,000 need the approval of the deputy minister of defence. Jonathan Chaplan, a Justice Department lawyer, oversees all exgratia payments. Lawyers on the ground determine how much to pay out. “At the end of the day, you try to be fair and to determine what’s reasonable in the circumstances, given that there isn’t a legal obligation,” Chaplan said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has publicly and angrily called on foreign forces to do more to ensure civilians aren’t caught in the crossfire. THE CANADIAN PRESS