By Canadian Press

Military under fire as thousands of troops face lost cost-of-living allowance

Mar 26, 2023 | 11:42 AM

OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces is under fire for its plan to cut thousands of troops off a cost-of-living allowance without much notice.

The military announced last week that about 7,700 Armed Forces members will no longer receive the top-up starting in July.

The Armed Forces is instead introducing a new housing benefit that it says will better assist those who need it the most.

Some military members have since taken to social media and online forums to express their dissatisfaction with the new plan, including the abbreviated timeline.

Charlotte Duval-Lantoine of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute think tank says the issue underscores longstanding concerns about how the military treats those in the ranks, with many members relying on the allowance to make ends meet.

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Retired lieutenant-general Guy Thibault says members are growing increasingly angry over how they are being treated by the government and chain of command, which he worries is exacerbating the military’s current personnel crisis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2023.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press