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VANCOUVER — A long-running lawsuit launched by veterans against the federal government is off the docket until after the federal election, if not for good.
The two sides appeared in a Vancouver court today to agree to pause the case, in which veterans are arguing that modern-day soldiers are discriminated against compared to those who fought in earlier wars.
In defending the lawsuit, government lawyers outraged veterans by asserting that the federal government has no extraordinary obligation to those who have fought for the country.
Since then, a raft of new measures to improve benefits for veterans have been unveiled by the Conservatives, including a bill that recognizes the so-called “sacred obligation” in its preamble.
A lawyer for the veterans says with new legislation and regulations already on the table, as well as an upcoming election, they are willing to give the government until May 2016 to see if the situation improves.
In exchange, the Conservative government agreed to walk away from its appeal of the decision that allowed the class-action lawsuit to go ahead, but a judge instead simply ordered the case be put on hold.
