While not admitting liability, the Government of Canada has agreed to settlement of the class action for current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces who experienced racial discrimination or harassment in connection with their military service. The Federal Court has approved this settlement.
The settlement covers members and former members of the CAF who experienced racial discrimination and/or racial harassment in connection with their military service at any time from April 17, 1985.
The settlement provides:
- Payment for Class Members who experienced racial discrimination and/or racial harassment connected with their military service
- The option to participate in a restorative engagement process to share your experience
- The option to receive a personalized letter of apology from the Chief of the Defence Staff
- Other measures to improve the organizational culture and systems within the Canadian Armed Forces
At this stage in the process, you have the option to:
| 1. Do nothing | If you do nothing, you will give up the right to collect under the settlement and you will give up the right to sue Canada or others or bring a human rights complaint in relation to any racial discrimination or racial harassment you experienced in connection with your military service. |
| 2. Submit a Claim Form | In order to make a claim for a monetary award, and/or to request a personalized letter of apology from the Chief of the Defence Staff, and/or to participate in restorative engagement processes, you will need to submit an Individual Claim Form to the Claims Administrator (Deloitte). Individual Claim Forms will be available from the Claims Administrator once the claims period is open. The claims period will open after April 10, 2025, but may be delayed for certain reasons. Further details and updates will be available from the Claims Administrator at cafrdclaims.com. If you would like assistance with completing an Individual Claim Form once the claims period is open, Class Counsel can provide this assistance at no charge. Contact information is available at the bottom of this webpage, or in the Contact section. The deadline to file an Individual Claim Form with the Claims Administrator is 12 months from when the claims period opens. |
| 3. Opt Out | Claim Members that didn't want to be bound by the settlement could opt out of the class action. Opt Out Forms were available from the Claims Administrator at cafrdclaims.com, and could also be accessed in the website's document library. The deadline to file an Opt Out Form with the Claims Administrator was April 10, 2025. If you did not file an Opt Out Form with the Claims Administrator by April 10, 2025, you are bound by the settlement even if you did not wish to participate in the settlement. If you opted out, you are not entitled to make a claim for a monetary award under the settlement, but you have kept your right to sue Canada or others or bring a human rights complaint in relation to any racial discrimination or racial harassment you experienced in connection with your military service. If you had already commenced a legal proceeding against Canada for damages resulting from the racial discrimination or racial harassment that was also covered by this settlement, and if you did not discontinue your legal proceeding before April 10, 2025, you were automatically deemed to have opted out of this settlement and you will not be able to make a claim for a monetary award under the settlement. |