ELMIRA, ON, January 31, 2013 – Mr. Gordon Moore, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion, accompanied by Mr. Phil Fredette, the Government Relations Chair of the Funeral Service Association of Canada and Mr. Jean-Pierre Goyer, Executive Director of the Last Post Fund, announced the launch of a national letter writing campaign to request that the government improve the Funeral and Burial Benefits Program for Veterans, earlier today at Legion Branch 469.

“Starting today, we are calling on our approximately 330,000 members to send a letter to their respective MPs highlighting the need for government action to improve the Funeral and Burial Benefits program. All Canadians who wish to support our efforts are encouraged to do so by downloading our letter” concluded Mr. Moore.

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Please read instructions below to choose your method of letter submission before opening the letter. You will need the name of your Member of Parliament as well as the parliamentary email address.

Instructions for Letter Writing Campaign
Re: Funerals and Burials

Welcome to The Legion’s Letter Writing Campaign for improved Funeral and Burial Benefits for Veterans. Members are asked to send the prepared letter to their Member of Parliament to request that the government improve the program.

You can send the letter with several different methods by:

Instructions for electronic submission (Option 1):

1. Select your Member of Parliament from the list below by clicking on the email address in the right hand column. 
   To find your Member of Parliament using your postal code, visit
   http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx
2. Your email program will open with the email address filled in.
3. Copy and paste the text of the letter (below the list of MPs) into the body of the email.
4. Fill in the Name of your MP in the address block at the top of the letter and your name and address at the bottom of the letter.
5. Send.

COPY AND PASTE

[ Member of Parliament ]
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

RE: Dignified Funeral and Burial Support for Canada’s Veterans

Dear Mr./Ms. Member of Parliament,

I am writing to support The Royal Canadian Legion’s position and request that you, as a Member of Parliament, act in your capacity to increase the support for funerals and burials available to Veterans from the Last Post Fund.

Canada’s Veterans deserve a dignified funeral that recognizes the significant contribution they have made to the security of this country. The Royal Canadian Legion has specifically, and repeatedly, asked Government for action on the issue of funerals and burials, but to no avail. Now, through a national letter campaign, The Legion is also taking up the torch on behalf of our Veterans across the country. And my voice is not alone, the Canadian Funeral Service Association is also concerned: http://bit.ly/UEmndq

The Legion’s advocacy on this issue was first brought to Government in 2004. It was raised again in 2010 and most recently in 2012 when The Legion presented a statement to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of its 330,000 members, calling on the Government to immediately increase the Veterans Funeral and Burial Program benefits available through the Last Post Fund for low income Veterans.

I am specifically asking you to answer, or seek responses from Government, to the following key issues which need to be resolved:

• The current rate of $3,600 provided by The Last Post fund is greatly inadequate and has not been increased since 2001. When will the Government make the proper adjustments to this amount?
• The eligibility for funeral and burial benefits should be granted to low income CF Veterans. These Veterans have served our country and deserve a dignified funeral. When will the Government grant equality to all Veterans?
• The survivor estate exemption was reduced in 1995 from approximately $24,030 to $12,015 as part of budget reductions. This is considerably less than the poverty level and has not been adjusted since 1995. When will the Government recognize the inadequacies of this amount in light of today’s economic climate?

These Veterans and their families deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for their service to our country. As a proud Canadian, I have not forgotten our Veterans and their families, and The Legion never will. I look forward to your answers to my questions, and your efforts to ensure Veterans receive the benefits they so rightly deserve.

Sincerely,

Instructions for electronic submission (Option 2):

1. Insert your Member of Parliament in the Addressee block.  To find your Member of Parliament using your postal code, click the "Find Your Member of Parliament" button or visit
   http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx
   (this search will also provide the email address of your MP).
   
2. Fill in your name and address in the text block at the bottom of the letter.
3. Click the “SUBMIT” button to open up your email program then copy and paste the email address for your MP from the list below or from the  ‘Contact Information’ block found by using the link above into the “To” field of your email.
4. Click ‘Send’.  The letter is sent as an attachment to your email.

 Open Letter to Members of Parliament

Instructions for email attachment submission (Option 3):

1. Insert your Member of Parliament in the Addressee block.  To find your Member of Parliament using your postal code, click the "Find Your Member of Parliament" button or visit
   http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx
   (this search will also provide the email address of your MP).
   
2. Fill in your name and address in the text block at the bottom of the letter.
3. Click the “SAVE” button to save the file to your computer.
4. Open your web-based email program and attach the PDF file to the message,  then copy and paste the email address for your MP from the list below or from the ‘Contact Information’ block found by using the link above into the “To” field of your email.
5. Click ‘Send’.  The letter is sent as an attachment to your email.

 Open Letter to Members of Parliament

Instructions for print and mail submission (Option 4):

1. Insert your Member of Parliament in the Addressee block.  To find your Member of Parliament using your postal code, click the "Find Your Member of Parliament" button or visit
   http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx
   
2. Click the “SAVE” button to save the file to your computer.
3. Open the file on your computer and print the letter by clicking on the “PRINT” button at the bottom of the page.
4. Mail to the MP’s Parliamentary office.  The address for your MP is as found in the addressee block at the top of the letter:

   [ Name of Member of Parliament ]
   House of Commons
   Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6

5. Remember that no postage stamp is needed for letters sent to this address.

 Open Letter to Members of Parliament