(OTTAWA) The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are under fire for their plan to cut, without notice, a stipend given to thousands of soldiers to help them make ends meet.
Posted at 2:42pm
Lee Berthiaume The Canadian Press
The army announced last week that around 7,700 of its members would no longer receive this money from July.
The CAF is instead introducing a new housing benefit which it says will do better to help those who need it most.
Some military personnel have since expressed dissatisfaction with the new plan and its rapid rollout on social media and online forums.
Canada’s Global Affairs Institute’s Charlotte Duval-Lantoine says the new development highlights long-standing concerns about how the military treats its dependents, when many members relied on the allowance to supplement their month-ends.
Retired Lt. Gen. Guy Thibault points out that members of the armed forces are increasingly angry at how they are being treated by the government and their superiors, which he says is increasing staff shortages.