Some of Canada’s most severely disabled veterans face poverty in old age if Parliament does not act quickly and effectively to upgrade the New Veterans Charter, says Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent.

“It’s an urgent need,” Parent said at a press conference Oct. 1 where he publicly released his report on improvements needed to the charter, formally known as the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act. Seven years after the Charter came into force, and more than two years after it was amended to bolster financial benefits, “there are still serious deficiencies that need to be addressed,” he said.