Comment

Comment by Nikki on January 5, 2012 at 6:41pm

The US often puts a little extra in the payment envelope such as visas or passports for the victims family.

Comment by Christopher on January 5, 2012 at 3:30pm

What's a life worth?

Canadian military payments for death and destruction in Afghanistan have tripled

From a strictly legal standpoint, the Canadian military is not responsible for Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire of war. Like every nation with boots on the ground, Canada signed an agreement with Afghanistan’s government that waives any liability for so-called “collateral damage,” including property destruction, injury, and even death. Simply put, the deal ensures that if soldiers in the heat of combat accidentally destroy a farmer’s field—or mistake that same farmer for a Taliban insurgent, and open fire—Ottawa is safe from lawsuits.

Between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, the military issued 272 ex-gratia payments—more than five per week. The cash settlements ranged from as low as $185 to as high as $21,420, for a grand total of $661,045. That is triple the amount handed out during the previous year (102 payments totalling $205,828) and a fourfold increase from the year before that (57 payments; $152,683).

Why such a huge jump? The answer is difficult to confirm.

What Canada considers an appropriate amount (TAX PAYER dollars) remains cla$$ified.

Read more: http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/01/10/whats-a-life-worth/