The Canadian Forces has declared 2007 to be the Year of the Military Family.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier says it's only fitting to celebrate the spouses, children and parents of people in uniform given the sacrifices that they make each day.
"They are the strength behind the uniform," Hillier said in a statement.
The announcement comes as the military commemorates Canadian Forces Day on Sunday. Every year, the first Sunday in June marks CF Day -- a day officially recognized by the government for Canadians to pay tribute to Canada's Armed Forces
"Canadian Forces Day is a time for Canadians to salute the brave men and women who defend, protect and uphold the strong values of our country," said Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor in a statement. "I want to express my gratitude for their dedication and commitment to professionalism in their service everyday, whether here in Canada or abroad."
The announcement also comes amid a cloud of controversy over how the Defence Department has handled news that the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan had to pay part of his burial cost.
On Thursday, the chief of military personnel phoned the parents of Cpl. Matthew Dinning to apologize a day after they held a press conference to plead their case.
Rear-Admiral Tyrone Pile called the corporal's father, Lincoln Dinning, and promised to send a cheque to cover the difference between what the funeral cost and what the military paid, as well as to pay for outstanding grief counselling bills.
"He apologized profusely for the situation and said it got stuck in the system and it shouldn't have," Dinning told CTV's Question Period co-host Craig Oliver on Sunday.
"And, as they say, the cheque is in the mail."
Cpl. Matthew Dinning was one of four soldiers to die in a roadside bomb attack on April 22, 2006 near Kandahar.
His funeral cost about $12,000, of which $6,400 was covered by the National Defence burial stipend. The Dinnings will now receive another $4,700, including the cost of a hotel room in Ottawa where they stayed last fall when their son's name was added to the honour roll.
But the Dinning family's request for full reimbursement languished in the military bureaucracy for months, despite two letters they wrote to National Defence and a written plea to the prime minister. The family has yet to hear from Harper, and Lincoln Dinning said there has been no apology from O'Connor.
"I thought he might apologize when we were sitting in the House of Commons, 20 feet behind him during question period," said Dinning. "And I thought he might have turned to say sorry, or we screwed up. But, no, I haven't heard from him."
Dinning said he was surprised when O'Connor seemed to put the blame squarely on military bureaucracy for the mix-up. O'Connor said during last Wednesday's impromptu press conference -- which he held with Hillier -- that he gave orders last year that families of fallen soldiers be fairly compensated for funeral expenses.
"I think Mr. Hillier was even surprised at the press conference when Mr. O'Connor turned to him and said that," said Dinning.
"I've spoken to Mr. Hillier on several occasions, and he says -- and I believe him wholeheartedly -- that he hadn't seen the letter because if he had, then we would have been issued a cheque right away.
"In fact, I put that in my second letter. I said that these claims are being submitted on the authority of General Hillier who said that whatever we need, he's here to help. But I put it through the chain of command like I was instructed, and obviously there was a kink in the chain."
Dinning said this experience has neither damaged his regard for the military, nor for Hillier.
"We support the mission 100 per cent, and we still do. And the boys and girls in uniform worldwide have our unconditional support and so does Mr. Hillier," he said.
"What really brought this to the forefront was when Mr. O'Connor stood up in the House of Commons and said that he guarantees since he's been in office that every family has been paid the full recompense for funeral expenses, and, basically, he was calling our family's integrity into question. So we felt we had to do something."
With a report from the Canadian Press
