in early 1995, the 60th anniversary of D Day on June 6, 2004). The Government of Canada declared 2005 the Year of the Veteran. Its purpose was to teach, remember, thank, honour and celebrate. The image of a poppy overlapping a gold maple leaf became a special symbol during the campaign, on posters, pamphlets, bookmarks and documents. On November 9, 2008, the Honourable Greg Thompson, the-then Minister of Veterans Affairs, attended a Service of Remembrance at the Canada Memorial in Green Park, London, England, which Canada had recently assumed responsibility for; the memorial pays tribute to the nearly one million Canadian men and women who served in the United Kingdom during the First and Second World Wars. VAC Stakeholder Committee Members Veterans Affairs Canada (the Deputy Minister serves as Chair of the Committee) Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans (ANAVETs) in Canada Department of National Defence & the Canadian Armed Forces Royal Canadian Legion National Council of Veterans Associations Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping Canadian Veterans Advocacy Gulf War Veterans Association of Canada Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association NATO Veterans Organization of Canada VeteransofCanada.ca VeteranVoice.info Veterans UN-NATO Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police Veterans’ Association Royal Canadian Mounted Police Issues New Veterans Charter The benefits program administered by Veterans Affairs Canada to ill and injured soldiers was rarely changed since its creation after World War I. The result was a number of out-dated policies that no longer suited the needs of Canada's veterans. This program gave a life-time pension to an individual who was ill or injured due to military service. In 2005, all parties in the House of Commons passed the New Veterans Charter. This Charter replaced the life-time pension award with a lump sum payment award and used life-time pension payments much more sparingly. The Charter came into force on 1 April 2006 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government. Under the New Veterans Charter, an ill or injured member may receive a lump sum payment of a maximum of $550,000 tax-free, ($300,000 lump sum and $250,000 disbursement insurance) as well as a maximum monthly, taxable pension of $9685. In July 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Julian Fantino as the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Fantino quickly indicated that he was open to amending the New Veterans Charter to ensure veterans received the benefits and support they deserved. In the spring of 2014, the all-party Standing Committee