War Veterans Allowance Act
Marginal note:Veterans described
37 (1) The veterans referred to in the definition veteran in section 2 are those described in this section.
Marginal note:Veteran of South African War
(2) A veteran of the South African War is
(a) any former member of a Canadian contingent who served in a theatre of actual war during the South African War or who had landed in or had embarked for South Africa prior to June 1, 1902; or
(b) any former member of His Majesty’s forces who served in a theatre of actual war during the South African War or who had landed in or had embarked for South Africa prior to June 1, 1902 and who was domiciled in Canada immediately prior to October 11, 1899 or has resided in Canada for a total period of at least ten years.
Marginal note:Canadian veterans of World War I or II
(3) A Canadian veteran of World War I or World War II is any former member of His Majesty’s Canadian forces
(a) who
(i) having enlisted and having the enlistment attested, served in a theatre of actual war during World War I or World War II and was discharged from the service in which he or she was enlisted,
(ii) is in receipt of a pension for disability under the Pension Act in respect of service during World War I or World War II as those wars are defined in that Act,
(iii) has accepted a commuted pension in respect of service described in subparagraph (ii), or
(iv) is, after death, declared to have been eligible for, or awarded, a pension described in subparagraph (ii); or
(b) who served in the United Kingdom during World War I.
Marginal note:Allied veteran
(4) An allied veteran is any former member of
(a) any of His Majesty’s forces,
(b) any of the forces, other than resistance groups, of any of His Majesty’s allies,
(c) any of the forces, other than resistance groups, of any power associated with His Majesty in World War I, or
(c.1) any of the forces that took part in the Korean War
who was domiciled in Canada at the time when he or she joined that force or at any time while a member of that force, and
(d) served in a theatre of actual war during World War I or World War II,
(d.1) served in a theatre of operations during the Korean War,
(e) is in receipt of a pension for disability under the Pension Act in respect of service during World War I or World War II as those wars are defined in that Act,
(f) has accepted a commuted pension in respect of service described in paragraph (e),
(g) is, after death, declared to have been eligible for, or awarded, a pension described in paragraph (e), or
(h) served in the United Kingdom during World War I.
Marginal note:Allied veteran — World War II
(4.1) An allied veteran is also any former member of any of His Majesty’s forces, or of any of the forces, other than resistance groups, of any of His Majesty’s allies in World War II, who served during that war, who resided in Canada for a total period of at least 10 years beginning on or after August 15, 1945, who has been honourably discharged or has been permitted honourably to resign or retire from one of those forces and who
(a) served in a theatre of actual war during that war;
(b) is in receipt of a pension for an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during service in any such force during that war or is declared to have been eligible for, or awarded, such a pension subsequent to their death; or
(c) has accepted a commuted pension.
Marginal note:Allied veteran — Korean War
(4.2) An allied veteran is also any former member of any of the forces that took part in the Korean War and who served during that war, who resided in Canada for a total period of at least 10 years beginning on or after July 27, 1953, who has been honourably discharged or has been permitted honourably to resign or retire from one of those forces and who served in a theatre of operations during that war.
Marginal note:Canadian dual service veteran
(5) A Canadian dual service veteran is a person who
(a) served during World War I and World War II as a member of His Majesty’s Canadian forces;
(b) was enlisted or obligated to serve in those forces without territorial limitation; and
(c) has been honourably discharged or has been permitted honourably to resign or retire from those forces.
Marginal note:Allied dual service veteran
(6) An allied dual service veteran is
(a) a person who
(i) served during World War I as a member of His Majesty’s forces,
(ii) was domiciled in Canada when he or she became a member of those forces,
(iii) was a member of His Majesty’s Canadian forces during World War II, enlisted or obligated to serve without territorial limitation, and
(iv) has been honourably discharged or has been permitted honourably to resign or retire from those forces.
(b) [Repealed, 1995, c. 17, s. 71]
Marginal note:Canadian Forces veteran
(7) A Canadian Forces veteran is a person who,
(a) as a member of the forces referred to in section 14 of the National Defence Act, left Canada or the United States, including Alaska, at any time prior to July 27, 1953 to participate in military operations undertaken by the United Nations to restore peace in the Republic of Korea; or
(b) is in receipt of a pension under the Pension Act, or is declared to have been eligible for, or awarded, a pension under the Pension Act after the member’s death, having become eligible for that pension by virtue of
(i) service as a member of the special force, as that force is defined in subsection 3(1) of that Act, or
(ii) service in the Korean War, as that service is defined in subsection 3(1) of that Act.
Marginal note:Definitions
(7.1) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.
allied ship
navire allié
allied ship means a ship other than a Canadian ship or a ship serving the enemy, and includes a ship that belonged to a government of an enemy-occupied country, or to a person resident in an enemy-occupied country, and that was placed under Canadian or allied control. (navire allié)
Canadian manning pool
dépôt d’équipages canadien
Canadian manning pool means a manning pool of the Canadian merchant navy established under Order in Council P.C. 14/3550 of May 19, 1941. (dépôt d’équipages canadien)
Canadian ship
navire canadien
Canadian ship means
(a) a ship registered or licensed in Canada or Newfoundland, except
(i) a ship chartered by bareboat charter to a charterer resident outside Canada or Newfoundland, or
(ii) a ship taken over and operated by any allied country; and
(b) a ship, wherever registered or licensed, having a crew engaged under the laws of Canada or Newfoundland and
(i) chartered by bareboat charter to a charterer resident in Canada or Newfoundland, or
(ii) taken over and operated by, under the control of, or on behalf of the Canadian Shipping Board or a Canadian naval authority. (navire canadien)
distressed mariner
en détresse
distressed mariner means a person who was in distress in a place outside Canada or Newfoundland, having been shipwrecked, discharged or left behind from a ship on which the person was engaged, and who received or was entitled to receive relief under
(a) the Distressed Seamen Regulations, made by Order in Council P.C. 609 of March 23, 1937, as those regulations read at the relevant time; or
(b) Order in Council P.C. 8592 of November 9, 1943. (en détresse)
foreign voyage
voyage de long cours
foreign voyage means a voyage from or to any place outside the area of a home-trade voyage. (voyage de long cours)
home-trade voyage
voyage de cabotage
home-trade voyage means a voyage between places in Canada, Newfoundland, the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon, in the course of which the ship did not go south of 36° North latitude or through the Bering Strait. (voyage de cabotage)
territorial waters of Canada
eaux territoriales du Canada
territorial waters of Canada means all waters within three nautical miles of any of the coasts, bays, creeks or harbours of Canada and Newfoundland, not included within the limits specified and described in the first article of the convention between His Majesty King George III and the United States, signed at London on October 20, 1818, and includes all waters that, pursuant to Order in Council P.C. 3139 of December 18, 1937, were delimited as Canadian territorial waters, but does not include
(a) the waters of the St. Lawrence River seaward from a line drawn due south across that river from the mouth of the Saguenay River; or
(b) the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca westward beyond 124° 30′ West longitude. (eaux territoriales du Canada)
war risk bonus
indemnité pour risques de guerre
war risk bonus means the pay supplement that was paid to ships’ crews serving in dangerous waters
(a) by shipowners or shipping companies under the authority of decisions, findings or directions of the National War Labour Board pursuant to
(i) the Wartime Wages and Cost of Living Bonus Order, Order in Council P.C. 8253 of October 24, 1941,
(ii) the Wartime Wages Control Order, Order in Council P.C. 5963 of July 10, 1942, or
(iii) the Wartime Wages Control Order, 1943, Order in Council P.C. 9384 of December 9, 1943,
as those respective orders read at the relevant time; or
(b) by the Government of Canada pursuant to Order in Council P.C. 122/7359 of August 19, 1942, as it read at the relevant time. (indemnité pour risques de guerre)
Marginal note:Applicable rules
(7.2) The following rules apply for the purposes of this section:
(a) the status of a vessel and of the members of its crew, and the class of voyage in which a vessel was engaged, shall be determined according to the Canada Shipping Act, 1934 and the regulations made thereunder, as that Act and those regulations read at the relevant time;
(b) the official records verifying the authenticity of any ship, other than a ship registered in Canada or Newfoundland, shall be those used under international practice or under the laws of the country of registration;
(c) a ship does not qualify as a Canadian ship or an allied ship if, at the relevant time,
(i) it was neither registered nor licensed,
(ii) it was a pleasure yacht not engaged in trade, or
(iii) it was engaged in the fishing industry;
(d) where official records of a person’s service as a merchant navy veteran of World War I or World War II or as a Canadian merchant navy veteran of the Korean War are not available, the Minister may accept a statutory declaration or like statement from anyone if
(i) information about the existence of any registered or licensed ship on which it is claimed that the person served is corroborated by official records,
(ii) no information in the declaration or statement is contradicted by other evidence, and
(iii) after taking into consideration such corroboration as may be available, the Minister is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the information in the declaration or statement is true,
but this paragraph does not apply in relation to subparagraph (7.3)(a)(i) with respect to the availability of war risk bonus;
(e) a person’s domicile shall be understood as meaning the person’s domicile at the commencement of the service, activity or status referred to in paragraph (7.3)(d); and
(f) the Minister may presume death in every case where, according to the evidence available as to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the person whose death is in question or the loss of the ship on which the person was serving, the Minister is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the death has in fact occurred.
Marginal note:Merchant navy veteran of World War I or World War II
(7.3) A merchant navy veteran of World War I or World War II is
(a) any person who, during World War I or World War II, served on board a Canadian ship while it was making
(i) a voyage for which war risk bonus was available, as verified by articles of agreement or other official documentation,
(ii) a foreign voyage,
(iii) a home-trade voyage any part of which went outside the territorial waters of Canada and the territorial waters of all other countries and was
(A) between a place in Canada and a place in the United States, in either direction,
(B) between a place in one province and a place in another province,
(C) between a place in Newfoundland or Saint Pierre and Miquelon and a place outside Newfoundland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, in either direction, or
(D) a search and rescue, salvage, cable-laying or cable-repairing operation, or
(iv) a voyage during the course of which
(A) the ship served on, or another Canadian or allied ship in the vicinity of the ship served on, was attacked by the enemy, or
(B) the ship served on was attacked or damaged
(I) by friendly forces engaging in action or counteraction against the enemy, or
(II) as a result of marine hazards due to the war;
(b) any person who, during World War I or World War II, made a trip by sea, land or air through or over a theatre of actual war for the purpose of
(i) proceeding to a Canadian ship in order to serve on a voyage referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii) or (iii), or
(ii) returning to Canada, or to the country of which the person was a citizen or national, from having made a voyage referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) or from service referred to in paragraph (c);
(c) any person who, as a member of a Canadian manning pool during World War I or World War II, served in a theatre of actual war;
(d) any person domiciled in Canada who, during World War I or World War II,
(i) served on board an allied ship while it was making a voyage referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv),
(ii) made a trip by sea, land or air through or over a theatre of actual war for the purpose of
(A) proceeding to an allied ship in order to serve on a voyage referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii) or (iii), or
(B) returning to Canada from having made a voyage referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) or from service referred to in subparagraph (iii),
(iii) as a member of an allied manning pool, served in a theatre of actual war, or
(iv) was a distressed mariner; or
(e) any person who
(i) is in receipt of a pension,
(ii) has accepted a commuted pension, or
(iii) is declared to have been eligible for, or is awarded, a pension subsequent to the person’s death
for an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during service as a Canadian merchant mariner of World War I or Canadian merchant mariner of World War II within the meaning of section 21.1 of the Pension Act.
Marginal note:Canadian merchant navy veteran of the Korean War
(7.4) A Canadian merchant navy veteran of the Korean War is
(a) any person who, at any time during the period from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, served on board a Canadian ship in any of the waters, including gulfs, bays and inlets, lying between
(i) the coasts of Siberia, Korea and China
and
(ii) a line beginning at a point on the coast of Siberia at longitude 135° East; thence south to a point at latitude 38° 30′ North and longitude 135° East; thence southwesterly to a point at latitude 30° North and longitude 124° East; thence south to Shokoto Sho; thence westerly to Shichisei Seki; and thence westerly to a point on the coast of China at latitude 23° North; or
(b) any person who
(i) is in receipt of a pension,
(ii) has accepted a commuted pension, or
(iii) is declared to have been eligible for, or is awarded, a pension subsequent to the person’s death
for an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during service as a Canadian merchant mariner of the Korean War within the meaning of section 21.1 of the Pension Act.
Marginal note:Definition of theatre of actual war
(8) For the purposes of this section, theatre of actual war means
(a) in the case of the South African War, the zone of the military operations in South Africa in which the forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were engaged prior to June 1, 1902;
(b) in the case of World War I,
(i) as applied to the army or air forces, the zone of the allied armies of the continents of Europe, Asia or Africa, or wherever the veteran has sustained injury or contracted disease directly by a hostile act of the enemy, and
(ii) as applied to the naval forces or the merchant navy, the high seas or wherever contact has been made with hostile forces of the enemy, or wherever the veteran has sustained injury or contracted disease directly by a hostile act of the enemy; and
(c) in the case of World War II,
(i) with respect to a former member of His Majesty’s Canadian forces or a merchant navy veteran of World War II, any place where the person has been on service involving duties performed outside the Western Hemisphere, including
(A) service involving duties performed outside Canada, Newfoundland, the United States, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and the territorial waters thereof in aircraft, and
(B) service anywhere in a ship or other vessel, which service is classed as “sea time” for the purpose of advancement of naval ratings, or which would be so classed were the ship or other vessel in the service of the naval forces of Canada, and
(ii) with respect to a former member of His Majesty’s forces other than His Majesty’s Canadian forces, or of any of the forces of His Majesty’s Allies or powers associated with His Majesty in World War II, such places, zones or areas as the Board may prescribe.
Marginal note:Meaning of sea time
(8.1) For the purposes of clause (8)(c)(i)(B), sea time for the purpose of advancement of naval ratings includes time served in
(a) a sea-going ship,
(b) a defensively-equipped merchant ship, or
(c) any ship employed in harbour, other than a boom defence scow, gate vessel, depot ship or harbour craft,
as well as time served in combined operations organizations, but does not include time served on any ship prior to its commissioning.
Marginal note:Definition of commuted pension
(9) For the purposes of this section, commuted pension means a final payment under the Pension Act in lieu of annual pension in respect of a disability rated at five per cent or more of total disability, or a similar or analogous final payment under the laws relating to the forces with which the veteran served.
Marginal note:Commencement and duration of wars
(10) For the purpose of this section, except subparagraphs (3)(a)(ii) to (iv) and paragraphs (4)(e) to (g),
(a) the South African War shall be deemed to have commenced on October 11, 1899 and to have concluded on May 31, 1902;
(b) World War I shall be deemed to have commenced on August 4, 1914 and to have concluded on August 31, 1921; and
(c) World War II shall be deemed to have commenced on September 1, 1939 and to have terminated
(i) in respect of service in connection with operations in the European and Mediterranean theatres of war, on May 8, 1945, and
(ii) in respect of service in connection with operations in the Pacific theatre of war, on August 15, 1945.
Marginal note:Application to Newfoundland
(11) For the purposes of this Act, Canadian forces includes any forces raised in Newfoundland, and domicile in Canada and residence in Canada include respectively domicile and residence in Newfoundland, whether before or after the union of Newfoundland with Canada.
(12) [Repealed, R.S., 1985, c. 12 (2nd Supp.), s. 14]
- R.S., 1985, c. W-3, s. 37
- R.S., 1985, c. 12 (2nd Supp.), s. 14, c. 20 (3rd Supp.), s. 38(F)
- 1992, c. 24, s. 11
- 1995, c. 17, s. 71
- 1999, c. 10, s. 3
- 2000, c. 34, ss. 89, 90(E)
- 2003, c. 27, s. 10
- 2009, c. 20, s. 4
- Date modified: