An Act to amend the statute law in respect of benefits for veterans and the children of deceased veterans

How it changed on the way

68% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (2,003 words introduced, 1,328 passed).

substantial changeintent mostly kept

The bill kept its core purpose of updating veterans' benefits and education assistance but altered prisoner-of-war compensation tiers and added an assent date. Several clauses on definitions, allowances, and rates were revised or expanded between introduction and royal assent.

• Added royal assent date to the bill title.

  After: “[Assented to 7th November, 2003]”

• Narrowed the definition of student by removing reference to section 27 of the Pension Act.

  Before: “section 25, 26 or 27 of the Pension Act”

  After: “section 25 or 26 of the Pension Act”

• Expanded prisoner-of-war compensation tiers and added lower-day brackets with new percentages.

  Before: “(i) 20% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 89 days but not more than 364 days, or (ii) 50% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 365 days;”

  After: “(i) 5% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 30 days but not more than 88 days, (ii) 20% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 89 days but not more than 364 days, or (iii) 50% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 365 days;”

• Increased maximum education costs payable and added new period-specific rules.

  After: “the maximum amount of education or instruction costs payable in respect of a student for any academic year falling, in whole or in part, within the period beginning on September 1, 2003 and ending on the day on which the”

How precisely it is written

mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard

The bill relies on exact dollar amounts, day ranges, percentages of basic pension, and fixed date windows to set benefits and eligibility. A few provisions delegate future adjustments or transitional payments to regulations or the Minister, but these are narrowly framed.

Clear-cut

• “5% of basic pension, where that person was such a prisoner for periods totalling at least 30 days but not more than 88 days”

  Uses fixed percentages and exact day brackets that leave no interpretive room.

• “the amount of the monthly allowance that may be paid to or in respect of a student for the period beginning on February 28, 1995 and ending on August 31, 2003 is $167.47”

  States a precise dollar figure and closed calendar period.

Discretion. The Minister may pay past allowances under section 12 and the Governor in Council may adjust maximum education costs by regulation, but both powers are confined to stated dollar figures, CPI linkage, and explicit time windows.

Challenging the law itself. The text contains no open-ended standards such as 'harm' or 'in the opinion of' that would readily support a vagueness or overbreadth claim under section 7 of the Charter.

Disputing a charge under it. Eligibility and amounts turn on verifiable day counts, fixed dollar sums, and calendar dates rather than subjective judgments, making factual disputes straightforward to resolve.

Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.