• Merchant Navy ships delivered troops, ammunition, goods, tanks, clothing, boots, bombs, airplanes and their fuel, raw materials, and so on.
• Some of the Merchant Seamen were only 14 years old, while many were too old for the regular forces. Others joined the Merchant Navy instead of the regular forces and were accused of being draft dodgers. This was a myth. Look at the awful casualty statistics.
• If a ship was sunk, the survival rate for the crew was only 50%.
• One in 7 mariners serving aboard merchant ships in WWII died in the line of duty. The merchant ships faced dangers from U-boats, mines, armed raiders and destroyers, aircraft, and the elements.
• The casualty rate for civilian sailors Merchant Seamen was far higher than that of all the armed services combined. In the first two years of the war, merchant seaman deaths (attributed to enemy action) reached a staggering 25,000 mostly British but including Canadian sailors.
• There are several other myths about the Merchant Navy: that they earned extravagant wages, that they did not follow strict discipline, that they had the freedom to quit, and so on. None of these are true.

1939

• The Merchant Marine in the UK were covered under the Pension (Navy, Army, Air Force and Mercantile Marine) Act right from the very beginning of the war.
• The Battle of the Atlantic was a battle for control over shipping in the Atlantic Ocean which lasted from September 1939 until May 1945.

1940

• During the second year of the war, enemy U-boats were very successful. They sank more ships than were built.
• On June 15, the Erik Boye, a 2238 gross ton vessel, was the first Canadian Merchant ship to go down as a casualty in The Battle of the Atlantic.

1941

• A Canadian Government statement acknowledged that "the Merchant Marine ...is...virtually an arm of our fighting services."

1942

• During 1942, there was an average of 33 Allied mercantile ships sunk each week. This was the most successful year in U-boat history with 1200-1600 Allied ships sunk.

1943

• Canadian Munitions and Supply Minister, C. D. Howe, forecast in the House of Commons that an all-Canadian Merchant fleet numbering over 200 ships would emerge after the war. A post-war Merchant Navy was seen by many as a source of employment and would be a real benefit to Canadian post-war commerce.

1945

• More than one million service men and women were demobilized and benefited in one way or another from the legislation under the Veterans Charter.
• Benefits were discussed in relation to the Merchant Seamen, but Lionel Chevrier, Minister of Transport, stated that "benefits should not be of a nature which would encourage Seamen to leave the industry at the end of the war to seek employment in other fields as the services of many skilled Seamen will be required if Canada is to maintain a Merchant Marine after the war."

1946

• With the war over, all of the Merchant Navy ships were stripped of their military equipment such as guns, ammunition, and so on. They were now to be used for peace-time trade and commerce. During the war, most of the merchant navy was owned by crown corporations like the Park Steamship Company, but after the war, ships were sold to private companies.

1948

• There were increasing problems with the Canadian Merchant Navy such as falling freight rates and devaluation of the pound. The private companies were losing money.

1949

• There was an announcement by Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent which read: "We have concluded that we are not justified from an economic viewpoint in maintaining a Canadian flag [a government subsidised merchant navy] by artificial means. It is not the intention of the Government to maintain an industry at the expense of the taxpayer." This was the death nell of the Canadian shipping fleet.

1950

• By the time the Canadian Merchant Navy disbanded, the good jobs were gone, and any government aid for relocation or rehabilitation of the merchant seaman was non-existent (though it had been available in 1945 for the regular forces).

1952

• Merchant Mariners did receive the War Veterans Allowance.

1981

• The Veterans Independence Program (VIP) was established and eligibility was provided to Merchant Seamen who required the care and services available under this program as a result of a pension disability.

1985 - 90

• Problems reached an acute stage by the late 1980s when the Merchant Seaman were encountering severe problems due to advancing age.

1992

• Merchant Marine veterans received disability pensions, allowances, and health care benefits through the Merchant Navy Veteran and Civilian War Related Benefits Act. Former members of the Merchant Navy were given official veteran status. This was only a partial solution because there still existed a loss of benefits between 1945 and 1992. Moreover, the new benefits did not compare favourably with those available to members of the regular forces.

1997

• The National Council of Veterans Associations (NCVA) made a submission to the Senate Sub-committee on Veterans Affairs and called for a lump sum payment to compensate the Merchant Mariners for the loss of benefits between 1945 and 1992, and for 19 benefits under the Veterans Charter for which they were not permitted to apply: unemployment insurance, housing, land grants, re-establishment credits, re-training and education costs, and assistance for children of those who lost their lives, and so on.

1998

• September 29: Former Merchant Seamen went on a hunger strike on Parliament Hill. They demanded that Veterans Affairs Minister Fred Mifflin give the 2,300 surviving merchant mariners equal benefits to other veterans.
• October 1: The War Amps presents a cheque to Merchant Navy protesters.
• October 7: Cliff Chadderton wrote to the Prime Minister about the hunger strike and provided information regarding the benefits sought in his 1997 submission to the Senate Sub- Committee on Veterans Affairs.
• October 10: The Merchant Navy veterans ended their hunger strike when they were promised a meeting with the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
• November 18: The annual general meeting of the NCVA unanimously approved a recommendation in full support of the Merchant Navy claim.
• November 25: The Merchant Seamen began their second hunger strike.
• November 26: Cliff Chadderton went before the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs to comment on the new veterans Omnibus Bill C-61.
• November 27: The Merchant Seamen ended their second hunger strike. If so, the mariners can try to persuade the committee to give a special one-time payment for the benefits they did not receive between 1945 and 1992.
• December 2: Minister of Veterans Affairs, Fred Mifflin, introduced Bill C-61, the new veterans Omnibus Bill. This was the first reading in the House of Commons. This Bill contains amendments intended to clarify the wording of the legislation which many people believe to be ambiguous. The proposed legislation would transfer current Merchant Navy veteran clauses to the main Veterans Act, namely the Pension Act and the War Veterans Allowance Act. Again, this legislation does not address the benefits withheld between 1945 and 1992. Bill C-61 was passed on March 11, 1999.

1999

• January 18: The War Amps releases "SAIL OR JAIL" Merchant Seamen's Claim For Benefits, a 60- minute video produced by Cliff Chadderton which explains the Merchant Navy compensation issue.
• March 18: Hearings before Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs examining the issue of compensation for Merchant Navy veterans commence.
• April 29: Cliff Chadderton, Chairman of National Council of Veteran Associations, presents submission at hearings and recommends compensation.
• May 19: The War Amps adds section "Battle on the Internet" to its Web site in answer to erroneous information on the Veterans Affairs Web site about the Merchant Navy compensation issue.
• June 9: The Standing Committee issues report following hearings. Compensation was supported by all Opposition parties, but voted down by Liberal majority. Report instead recommends War Museum display, a spot on Museum Board and $1 million dollar scholarship fund for students studying the Merchant Navy. NCVA calls report a perpetuation of the "black mark" against Merchant Navy.
• June 10: NCVA news release refutes statement of Standing Committee Chair, Pat O'Brien, that veterans did not support the Merchant Navy issue.
• July 13: Cliff Chadderton addresses Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association annual meeting in Saint John, NB. Advises they take "statesman-like" approach, keeping a watching brief on upcoming discussions in Parliament.
• September: Ottawa Life magazine publishes article on compensation claim by NCVA Chairman Cliff Chadderton.
• October 12: NCVA and Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association issue news release stating they will not support another hunger strike but will instead await Veterans Affairs Minister Baker's response to the Standing Committee report, expected early November.
• October 28: NCVA issues news release stating that it is pleased that Veterans Affairs Minister George Baker is apparently preparing a proposal for Cabinet regarding compensation for Merchant Seamen.
• November 5: Baker asks Standing Committee to revisit the Merchant Navy issue to determine what would constitute fair and equitable compensation. His request is turned down.
• November 19: Newspaper articles quote Baker as saying he will not bring the compensation issue to the government until a consensus is reached with all of the Merchant Navy groups as to an equitable compensation figure. He convenes a meeting with these groups for December 15th.
• December 15: Following meeting, heads of Canadian Veterans organizations, including those representing Merchant Seamen, issue joint communiqué, recommending to government a compensation package ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, plus an additional 20% for those who were Prisoners of War. Estimated cost is $64 million with approximately 7,200 Merchant Seamen or widows benefiting. Baker expected to put this before government when Parliament resumes in early February 2000.
• December 21: NCVA Chairman Cliff Chadderton issues a letter to the editor stating that figures given of 7,200 beneficiaries for a total of $64 million were based on data provided by officials of Veterans Affairs and seem much too high. The letter states the view that the number of people eligible will be approximately 4,000, therefore reducing the cost from $64 million to about $45 million.

2000

• February 1: Minister of Veterans Affairs George Baker announces a $50 million tax-free package for Canada's Merchant Navy Veterans and surviving spouses. Payments will be made to eligible Canadian merchant mariners who served during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
• October: An additional $20 million is announced by new Veterans Affairs Minister Ronald J. Duhamel adding to the $50 million approved by his predecessor.

2001

• May 4: Minister of Veterans Affairs Ron Duhamel announces an additional $34.5 million to provide a full second payment for qualified Canadian Merchant Navy veterans and their surviving spouses. This follows the first 60% instalment and concludes the ex gratia Merchant Navy Special Benefit bringing the total package to $104.5 million. More than 7,000 applicants have qualified for payments, the majority ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the length of service. For more information, please call toll-free 1-800-228-7441 or refer to the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site. The TDD toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-877-713-7640.