A lot of people have been asking what will happen to the pre-86/post-90 compensation now that an election has been called. The short answer is it should not have any significant effect. The Liberal Government signed a memorandum of understanding prior to the election which committed them to providing compensation. The Conservative Party, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois have all supported compensation in the past, and voted in favour of compensation several times, including April 2005.
We are continuing to negotiate with the Department of Justice, and are continuing to gather the information we need to conclude those negotiations. Our work will continue throughout the election campaign, as we are dealing with government lawyers, not politicians.
The only effect the election will likely have is that we will not be able to get any final agreement signed until after the election when a new cabinet is sworn in. However, given the amount of work left to do in the negotiations, it is not likely that an agreement could be reached before a new cabinet is in place anyway.
So, don't worry. We are confident that compensation will be provided regardless of what happens in the election.
