OTTAWA — The federal government has added another $34.5 million to a benefit fund for merchant marine war veterans and their spouses.
Friday’s announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs brings the total benefits package for merchant mariners to $104.5 million.
The original $50-million program, announced in February 2000, was sweetened by $20 million last October.
The amount was raised again because the number of eligible recipients exceeded estimates, the government said.
“The merchant navy veteran special benefit is intended for qualified Canadian merchant mariners who served during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, as well as their surviving spouses,” the department said in a news release.
It is supposed to compensate for the demobilization benefits which army, navy and air force vets received after the war, but which were largely denied to members of the merchant marine, who were officially considered to be civilians.
So far, more than 7,000 applicants have qualified for payments, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on length of service.
