Date: 20060330
Docket: T-545-05
Citation: 2006
FC 400
Ottawa, Ontario, March 30, 2006
PRESENT: THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE BLAIS
BETWEEN:
DONALD G. WANNAMAKER
Applicant
and
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA
Respondent
REASONS FOR ORDER AND ORDER
[1]
This is an
application for judicial review pursuant to subsection 18.1(1) of the Federal
Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-7, of a decision of the Veterans Review and
Appeal Board (the Board) dated May 27, 2004, which held that Mr. Donald G.
Wannamaker (the applicant), is not entitled to a disability pension for his
lumbar disc disease under subsection 21(1) or subsection 21(2) of the Pension
Act, R.S.C. 1985 c. P-6; P-7 (the Act).
RELEVANT FACTS
[2]
The applicant claims
that his lumbar disc disease is a result of injuries he sustained during his
employment in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The applicant is a 73 year
old veteran, who served as an aircraft maintenance mechanic in the Royal
Canadian Navy from September 27, 1952, to June, 28, 1970.
[3]
In March 1959, the
applicant slipped and fell on ice as he was arriving at work at RCAF Downsview
and allegedly hurt his back and his ankle. In 1961, while serving in the
Special Duty Area (Congo), the applicant allegedly hurt his back
while trying to move a 400 lb. pack up crate, or fly-away kit. The applicant
began seeking treatment from a civilian chiropractor in 1966. At the time of
his release medical in 1970 he asserts that he was not physically examined and
was simply questioned about how he felt. Wanting to complete the proceedings,
he did not discuss his back pain.
[4]
In July 1989, the
applicant filed a claim for a disability pension under section 21 of the Act for
lumbar and cervical disc disease on the basis of the two injuries set out
above. The claim was denied and the decision was appealed to the Entitlement
Board. At this point, the applicant withdrew his application with respect to
cervical disc disease but continued with his claim relating to lumbar disc
disease. The appeal to the Entitlement Board was denied. On October 3, 1991,
the Veterans Appeal Board affirmed the decision of the Entitlement Board. Three
reconsiderations of this decision were also denied. Following a consent order
on a judicial review, a full reconsideration hearing was convened. In February
2005 the applicant received the decision of the Board which again upheld the denial
of a disability pension. The present application is for judicial review of this
decision.
DECISION OF THE BOARD
[5] The Board confirmed that the applicant
fell in 1959. However, the Board also found that the evidence revealed that the
applicant only complained about an injury to his ankle, at the time of the
incident, as oppose to complaining about back pain. The applicant asserted that
his back was not examined at that time, but there was information on file
indicating that his back and neck were examined in March 1959, and that the
examination results were negative. As to statements of witnesses at the time,
the Board found that they were consistent with an ankle injury, but did not
suggest a significant back injury. The Board also found that at certain points
in time while in military service the applicant had complained of lower back
pain, and at other times “strained or hurt his lower back,” but “that this
alone does not establish a causal link between the current disability and
military service”.
[6] The Board dismissed the recent medical
opinions, which confirmed the probability of a back injury. The said opinions were
premised on the applicant’s own recollection of events and could be dismissed
as a result of the existence of contradictory medical evidence.
[7] The Board also dismissed the applicant’s
explanation as to why his back injury was not mentioned during his medical
discharge examination in 1970.
Dr. Benoit endorsed the applicant’s
assertion that he had only received a cursory physical examination prior to his
discharge from military service on the basis that such examinations were
“frequently the norm in the 1950s and 1960s”. The Board, however, found that
this statement was not sufficient to rebut the actual documented discharge
reports of the applicant’s condition as reported by himself, and determined by
the discharge medical examination in 1970.
[8] As to Dr. Benoit’s statement that the applicant
was suffering from “premature” degeneration of the lumbar spine, the Board
found that this was inconsistent with the Veterans Affairs Canada Table of
Disabilities and Medical Guidelines (the Guidelines) dealing with “Disc
Disease”. These Guidelines indicate that Lumbar Disc Disease is “fundamentally
a natural degenerative condition associated with the ageing process, commencing
early in life and progressing steadily thereafter.” Dr. Benoit’s report did not
indicate what effect that the applicant’s spina bifida and scoliosis in his
spine could have had on his overall condition, nor did it indicate whether the
doctor believed that any degree of degeneration of the lumbar spine could be
considered premature at age 57, or whether the applicant’s back appeared to be
in worse condition than that of other people his age.
[9] The 1961 incident in the Congo was never recorded or documented. While the Board accepted
that there was no medical personnel available at the time of the incident, it
found that if the injury was so severe as to have contributed to the current claimed
condition, it would have been reasonable for the applicant to express
complaints and to seek medical attention upon his return from the Congo. The Board noted that the medical file was silent until
1966 when the applicant complained of back pain in relation to his gallbladder
surgery.
[10]
Finally, the Board
found that the incident in 1959 did not occur while the applicant was on duty,
and was not attributable to his regular Force service. This is due to the fact
that the fall occurred while the applicant was still in the parking lot and he
had not begun his service for that day.
ISSUES
[11]
1. Was the
Board’s finding patently unreasonable that the medical evidence before it did
not demonstrate that the accident caused the injury for which a pension was
sought?
2.
Did the Board fetter its discretion in making its own medical finding?
3. Was the Board’s finding
that the applicant’s accident did not arise out of his military service
unreasonable?
ANALYSIS
[12]
As
mentioned by the respondent, the applicant’s record contains documentary
evidence that was not before the Board. The said evidence is exhibit M.1 of the
affidavit of Ms. Angela Habraken which contains excerpts from a medical dictionary
(see applicant’s record at page 177).
[13]
In
Wood v.
Canada (Attorney General) [2001] F.C.J. No. 52, Justice W. Andrew MacKay, at paragraph
34, reiterated that evidence is not admissible in this Court if it has not been
presented previously to the administrative decision maker:
On
judicial review, a Court can consider only evidence that was before the
administrative decision-maker whose decision is being reviewed and not new
evidence (see Brychka v. Canada (Attorney General), supra; Franz v. Canada
(Minister of Employment and Immigration) (1994), 80 F.T.R. 79; Via Rail Canada
Inc. v. Canada (Canadian Human Rights Commission) (re Mills) (August 19, 1997),
Court file T-1399-96, [1997] F.C.J. No. 1089; Lemiecha v. Canada (Minister of
Employment & Immigration) (1993), 72 F.T.R. 49, 24 IMM L.R. (2d) 95;
Ismaili v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), (1995) 100 F.T.R.
139, 29 Imm L.R. (2d) 1).
[14]
In
light of the above, exhibit M.1 found in the affidavit of Ms. Angela Habraken
will not be considered by this Court.
1.
Was the Board’s finding patently unreasonable that the medical evidence before
it did not demonstrate that the accident caused the injury for which a pension
was sought?
[15]
In
order for the applicant to be entitled to a disability pension for his lumbar
disc disease, he has to meet the conditions outlined under subsection 21(1) or subsection 21(2) of the Act. Subsections
21(1) and 21(2) are as follows:
21 (1) In respect of service rendered during World War I,
service rendered during World War II other than in the non-permanent active
militia or the reserve army, service in the Korean War, service as a member
of the special force, and special duty service,
(a) where a member of the forces suffers disability
resulting from an injury or disease or an aggravation thereof that was
attributable to or was incurred during such military service, a pension
shall, on application, be awarded to or in respect of the member in
accordance with the rates for basic and additional pension set out in Schedule
I;
21 (2) In respect of military service rendered in the
non-permanent active militia or in the reserve army during World War II and
in respect of military service in peace time,
(a) where a member of the forces suffers disability
resulting from an injury or disease or an aggravation thereof that arose out
of or was directly connected with such military service, a pension shall, on
application, be awarded to or in respect of the member in accordance with the
rates for basic and additional pension set out in Schedule I;
|
21 (1) Pour le
service accompli pendant la Première Guerre mondiale ou la Seconde Guerre
mondiale, sauf dans la milice active non permanente ou dans l'armée de
réserve, le service accompli pendant la guerre de Corée, le service accompli
à titre de membre du contingent spécial et le service spécial :
a) des
pensions sont, sur demande, accordées aux membres des forces ou à leur égard,
conformément aux taux prévus à l'annexe I pour les pensions de base ou
supplémentaires, en cas d'invalidité causée par une blessure ou maladie -- ou
son aggravation -- survenue au cours du service militaire ou attribuable à
celui-ci;
21 (2) En ce qui concerne le service
militaire accompli dans la milice active non permanente ou dans l'armée de
réserve pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale ou le service militaire en temps
de paix :
a) des
pensions sont, sur demande, accordées aux membres des forces ou à leur égard,
conformément aux taux prévus à l'annexe I pour les pensions de base ou
supplémentaires, en cas d'invalidité causée par une blessure ou maladie -- ou
son aggravation -- consécutive ou rattachée directement au service militaire;
|
[16]
The
applicant submits that he has met the requirements of paragraph 21(2)(a) of the
Act. He believes he has demonstrated that his lumbar disc disease arose out of
or was directly connected to his military service in peace time as a result of
the back injury caused by his fall outside the hangar as he arrived at work.
Further, he submits that he has met the requirements of paragraph 21(1)(a) of
the Act because his lumbar disc disease was either attributable to - in that it
was further aggravated by the injury to his back while moving his extremely
heavy fly-away kit during his military service in the Special Duty Area of
Congo in 1961 - or that it was incurred during this second accident.
[17]
In
determining whether or not the requirements of paragraphs 21(2)(a) and 21(1)(a)
apply, the Board must take into consideration the interpretation provisions of
the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act. That is, the evidence and
circumstances of the case should be considered in light of sections 3 and 39 of
the aforementioned Act which state the following:
3.
The provisions of this Act and of any other Act of Parliament or of any
regulations made under this or any other Act of Parliament conferring or
imposing jurisdiction, powers, duties or functions on the Board shall be
liberally construed and interpreted to the end that the recognized obligation
of the people and Government of Canada to those who have served their country
so well and to their dependants may be fulfilled.
|
3. Les dispositions de la présente loi et de toute autre
loi fédérale, ainsi que de leurs règlements, qui établissent la compétence du
Tribunal ou lui confèrent des pouvoirs et fonctions doivent s'interpréter de
façon large, compte tenu des obligations que le peuple et le gouvernement du
Canada reconnaissent avoir à l'égard de ceux qui ont si bien servi leur pays
et des personnes à leur charge.
|
39. In all proceedings under this Act, the Board shall
(a) draw from all the circumstances of the case and all the
evidence presented to it every reasonable inference in favour of the
applicant or appellant;
(b) accept any uncontradicted evidence presented to it by the
applicant or appellant that it considers to be credible in the circumstances;
and
(c) resolve in favour of the applicant or appellant any doubt, in
the weighing of evidence, as to whether the applicant or appellant has
established a case.
|
39. Le Tribunal applique, à l'égard du demandeur ou de
l'appelant, les règles suivantes en matière de preuve :
a) il tire des circonstances et des éléments de preuve qui
lui sont présentés les conclusions les plus favorables possible à celui-ci;
b) il accepte tout élément de preuve non contredit que lui
présente celui-ci et qui lui semble vraisemblable en l'occurrence;
c) il tranche en sa faveur toute incertitude quant au
bien-fondé de la demande.
|
[18]
In Martel v.
Canada (Attorney General)
2004 FC 1287, [2004] F.C.J.
No. 1559, Justice James Russell adopts the reasoning of Justice John Evans
in Metcalfe v. Canada (Attorney General) [1999]
F.C.J. No. 22, in concluding that the effect of section 39 is to give claimants
the benefit of any reasonable doubt:
While paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this section [39] may
not create a reverse onus by requiring the respondent to establish that a
veteran's injury or medical condition was not attributable to military service,
they go a considerable way in this direction by requiring, in effect, that claimants
be given the benefit of any reasonable doubt.
[19]
In Wood,
above, Justice MacKay, at paragraph 24, comments on
the necessity of a causal link between the disability and military service:
Sections
3 and 39 of the Act do not, however, relieve the applicant of the burden of
proving that his low back pain arose out of or in connection with military
service (Cundell v. Canada (Attorney General) [2000] F.C.J. No. 38
(F.C.T.D.). The applicant must still establish on a balance of
probabilities, with the evidence considered in the best light possible, that
his disability is service-related. This civil standard must be read
in concert with the entitling provision of paragraph 21(2)(a) of the Pension
Act, R.S.C. 1985, Chap. P-7[…]
[20]
In John Doe v. Canada (Attorney General) 2004 FC 451, [2004] F.C.J. No. 555
at paragraph 36, I noted that the standard of proof in establishing the
entitlement to a pension is much lower than the balance of probabilities:
The
standard of proof in establishing the entitlement to a pension is much lower
than the balance of probabilities, from the wording of the Act itself.
[21]
In Fournier v.
Canada (Attorney General) 2005 FC 453, [2005] F.C.J. No. 573, Justice Richard
Mosley comments on the standard of review regarding the decision of the Board
to award, or not to award, pensions due to claimed disabilities sustained in
connection with military service:
In
a recent decision, Matusiak v.Canada (Attorney General), [2005] F.C.J. No. 236,
2005 FC 198 at paragraph 35, Justice Teitelbaum concluded, following a review
of the prior decisions, that the standard of review is reasonableness
simpliciter for the question of whether the Board failed to interpret the
evidence as a whole in the broad manner required by the statute. He found that
the standard of patent unreasonableness is applicable solely to the Board's
weighing of conflicting medical evidence to determine whether the disability in
question was caused or aggravated by military service.
[22]
The
issue before the Board involves the weighing of conflicting medical evidence to
determine whether the disability in question was caused or aggravated by
military service. As such, the standard of review is patent unreasonableness.
[23]
As noted by the
respondent, the applicant submitted evidence in the form of statements by him
and former colleagues substantiating the fact that he fell on the ice in 1959
and was required to lift heavy equipment while in the Congo in 1961. In addition to the various statements submitted by
the applicant, the Board had before it a summary of military medical records
from the time period when the injuries were alleged to have occurred. Based on
all of this evidence, the Board noted the following:
While there seems to be little question
that the applicant fell while in service, and that at certain points in time he
complained of low back pain, and at other times strained or hurt his low back,
this alone does not establish causal link between the current disability and
military service.
The main issue in this case is not simply whether the applicant sustained a
fall in 1959, or a back strain in 1961. The issue here is whether the current
permanent disability for which the applicant is seeking pension entitlement –
lumbar disc disease – was directly caused by these injuries or incidents. A
disability will be pensionable under subsection 21(2) of the Pension Act where
the applicant has adduced sufficient facts and evidence to support the
inference that the claimed disability arose out of was directly
connected to military service.
[…]
The Board has considered four additional medical opinions in this
rehearing, all supporting the claim of the applicant. After having reviewed
all of these opinions, the Board must note that these opinions are based on
the belief that the applicant suffered a severe fall, along with some traumatic
or significant injury to his back at that time. However, the evidence on file
does not provide support for the assumption that there was a traumatic or
severe injury to his back when the applicant fell on the ice in 1959.
[…]
A medical exam in March 1959 yielded a negative
report relating the neck and back. There was a three week period involving
complaints of low back pain and a diagnosis of low back strain. The medical documentation contains nothing which correlates
to the applicant’s more recent recollection that he sustained a severe injury
to his low back by falling on the ice in 1959. There is nothing in the
documentation to suggest that the applicant had sustained a severe and
traumatic injury to the lower back with long-term complications in 1959.
Similarly, there are no medical reports from 1961 indicating that a
significant, severe or traumatic injury occurred while the applicant was in the
Congo.
[…]
Furthermore, when the
applicant was discharged in 1970, he reported no complaints of back pain at the
time. The absence of reported complaints at that time is not explained in the
evidence before the Board but it should be noted that the situation here
appears to be similar to that dealt with by Madame Justice Reed, in her
judgment in Hall vs Canada (Attorney General) [1998] F.C.J. No. 890
(affirmed by the Court of Appeal in [1999] F.C.J. No. 1800), where the
Applicant had failed to indicate at discharge that he had suffered an injury
attributable to service. Madam Justice Reed noted in that case that the
Applicant's earlier statement was evidence which contradicted his later
statement that his disability arose out of an injury sustained in service. [emphasis added]
[24]
The Board had
contradictory evidence regarding the applicant’s alleged injuries. While the
statements submitted by the applicant arguably support the contention that the
applicant suffered a fall and had periodic complaints about back pain, the
Board concluded that they do not prove that an injury or trauma to the
applicant’s back occurred in 1959 or 1961. Furthermore, the Board concluded
that medical records did not support the applicant’s assertion that he suffered
an injury to his back during service. In fact, notations from medical examinations
in 1959, 1960 and 1970 deny any injury or trauma to the applicant’s back.
[25]
I agree with the
Board’s decision that there exists contradictory evidence surrounding the cause
of the applicant’s injury. However, I disagree with the Board’s findings of fact
regarding the ability of the evidence to illustrate a causal link between the
applicant’s fall on the ice and the alleged back injury sustained. In my
opinion there exists sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the applicant did
have back trouble while in military service and that this back trouble was
documented in such a way as to illustrate, based on a balance of probabilities,
that it was the result of the applicant’s fall in 1959. As was noted in the
applicant’s summary of the medical précis, he reported back pain on several
occasions before his discharge in 1970. The aforementioned summary of the medical
précis listed the following incidents:
18 to 23
September 1959
29 September
1959
29 April 1960
|
Mr. Wannamaker
sought attention for low back strain.
An x-ray
report indicated that Mr. Wannamaker has suffered from low back pain for
three weeks and had tenderness over L4 and L5. Although the medical précis
indicated that trauma was denied, the fall only a few months earlier
certainly was a traumatic event […]
The medical
report indicated that Mr. Wannamaker suffered from pain in his lower back
near the coccyx […]
|
(See
respondent’s application record, pages 112 and 113.)
[26]
I believe
that the applicant established on a balance of probabilities that his back
injury arose out of or in connection to his military service. Based on sections
3 and 39 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act, the Board should
have given the applicant the benefit of the doubt. Further, the documented
military medical evidence illustrating that the applicant suffered from back
pain, should have been viewed in the best light possible. The Board failed to do so, and instead relied on
weak contradictory evidence that in its mind did not show that the applicant
experienced trauma as a result of his fall on the ice. Because the Board
concluded that there was no evidence of trauma, it also concluded that there
was no causal link between falling on the ice and the injury sustained. Based
on the presumptions of sections 3 and 39 of the Veterans Review and Appeal
Board Act, I am of the opinion that the applicant did not need to show that
he experienced trauma to his back as a result of the fall. There exists clear
documented medical evidence illustrating that the applicant suffered from back
pain while a member of the Canadian Forces and as such, the applicant did not
have to illustrate that the documented medical evidence of the late 1950s and
early 1960s showed trauma. I find that the Board made a patently unreasonable error
in the way in which it interpreted the documented medical evidence. That is, it
was patently unreasonable to conclude, based on the evidence, that there was no
causal link between the applicant’s back injury and his military service.
[27]
Apart from
the documented medical evidence of the late 1950s and 1960s, the applicant also relied on recent medical opinions as
evidence of the alleged injury to his back. The Board notes, however, that the
medical opinions submitted are based on the applicant’s self reports of an
injury to his back in 1959 and 1961 and do not independently verify that such
an injury occurred:
However, Dr. Finestone was unable to independently assess the severity
or nature of the accidents or incidents to which the applicant now attributes
his back pain, and Dr. Finestone was unable to perform any objective or
clinical examination upon the applicant after these incidents.
(See Board’s decision dated May 27, 2004, respondent’s record, pages 14
and 15.)
[28]
The Board relies on the
findings of Madam Justice Barbara Reed in Hall v. Canada (Attorney
General) [1998] F.C.J. No. 890, whereby the applicant’s own recollection of events is the only
evidence to substantiate the exact cause of a particular injury. As such,
doctors must rely on the testimony of the applicant as to the origins of a
disability. Madam Justice Reed stated the following at paragraph 24:
I
cannot conclude that the Board's weighing of the evidence ignored any of the
directions set out in section 39 and the jurisprudence. In the mouths of the
doctors the statement that the injury was "assumed" to relate to the
1983-84 event; or that the doctor "feels" it is "probably"
the result of the 1984 injury, is speculation. Neither doctor had any first
hand knowledge of the events; they were not treating the applicant in 1983-84,
and had not even been doing so at the commencement of his complaints in
1987-88. Neither doctor in 1996 had any basis other that the applicant's
recitation of events on which to base a conclusion as to the event that caused
the injury. And, as noted, the applicant's description of the 1983-84 event
as constituting a cause of injury is contradicted by documentary evidence,
signed by him in 1984. [emphasis added]
[29]
The Board
found that there exist similarities in Hall, above, and the
present matter. That is, in both situations doctors had to rely on the
applicant’s recitation of events on which to base a conclusion and both claimed
causes of injury are contradicted by documentary evidence. However, I believe the differences
between the two situations far outweigh the similarities.
[30]
In the present
matter, there exists documented medical evidence that the applicant suffered from
back pain while he was in military service. As such, the expert opinions are
not relying solely on the applicant’s self reporting of injury. That was not
the situation in the Hall decision in which the applicant claims to have
hurt his back as a result of falling through the surface of deep snow into a
crevasse. The applicant in Hall did not report the accident nor seek
medical attention at the time. The only documented medical evidence of back
pain occurred several years after the alleged incident once the applicant was
no longer in military service.
[31]
The applicant in Hall
and the present matter did not mention their back injuries at the time of their
discharge medicals.
However, as mentioned above, the applicant in Hall did not have any
documented medical evidence of back pain while in military service. Because
that is not the case in the present matter, less weight should be attributed to
the applicant’s failure to mention his back pain at the time of his discharge.
With the abundance of documented medical evidence, the applicant’s failure to
mention back pain at the time of his discharge medical is not sufficient
contradictory evidence to deny the existence of a causal link between his
military service and the injury he sustained.
[32]
In MacDonald v. Canada (Attorney General) 2003 FC 1263, [2003] F.C.J. No. 1645,
Justice François Lemieux adopts the findings of Justice Marc Nadon regarding
what is required in order for the Board to reject evidence:
In
accordance with section 39 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act, the
tribunal must accept any uncontradicted evidence presented by the applicant that
it considers to be credible in the circumstances and must also draw conclusions
that are the most favourable to the applicant [see paragraph 22 of his reasons]
noting, however, a tribunal may reject medical evidence if it had before it
contradictory evidence, or if it states reasons, which would bear on
credibility and reasonableness. [emphasis added]
(See
also Wood v. Canada (Attorney General), [2001] F.C.J. No. 52 (T.D.), a decision
of Justice MacKay.)
[33]
The Board does
not deny that the expert opinions demonstrate that the applicant suffers from a
disability. However, the Board does doubt the factual basis on which the expert
opinions are constructed. The Board noted that there existed contradictory
medical records to prove a factual link between the disability and the
applicant’s military service. However, as previously mentioned, I find that the
Board erred in giving too much weight to that contradictory evidence in light
of the overwhelming evidence which illustrated that the applicant suffered from
back pain while he was in military service. As such, I do not believe the Board
could dismiss the expert opinion evidence brought by the applicant on the basis
that it can be contradicted.
2.
Did the Board fetter its discretion in making its own medical finding?
[34]
The
applicant submits that the Board dismissed the findings of his experts because
they contradicted the Guidelines of Veterans Affairs Canada. The applicant
claims that the Board erred in law in relying on the Guidelines because it
exceeded its jurisdiction by making its own medical conclusions based on its
own research or review instead of accepting the credible medical specialist
opinions. In support of his position, the applicant makes reference to the
findings of Justice Lemieux in MacDonald, above, at paragraph 24:
In
short, the tribunal embarked upon forbidden territory making medical findings
to discount uncontradicted credible evidence when it had no inherent medical
expertise and had the ability to obtain and share independent medical evidence
on points which troubled it.
[35]
I disagree
with the position advanced by the applicant. In the present matter, the Board
did not invoke any particular medical expertise; it merely relied on the Guidelines
which are at its disposal. The Board notes that the Federal Court has
confirmed in numerous decisions that it is legally appropriate for the VRAB to
rely on the Medical Guidelines by virtue of subsection 35(2) of the Act, which
gives the Guidelines a legislative effect.
[36]
The Board did not fetter its discretion
by relying on the Guidelines as opposed to relying on medical opinion. (See Kripps v. Canada (Attorney General) [2002] F.C.J. No. 742; King v. Canada (Attorney General) [2000] F.C.J. No. 196.)
[37]
The
applicant claims that the Board never provided the information contained in the
Guidelines to him, therefore, he was unable to review said information with his
experts. The applicant submits that this is a denial of natural justice. I
disagree with the applicant’s position. The Guidelines are public documents and
can be consulted at any time. Further, subsection 35(2) of the Act specifically
mentions the use of the Guidelines.
35 (2) The assessment of the extent of a disability shall be based on
the instructions and a table of disabilities to be made by the Minister for
the guidance of persons making those assessments.
|
35
(2) Les estimations du degré d'invalidité sont basées sur les instructions du
ministre et sur une table des invalidités qu'il établit pour aider quiconque
les effectue.
|
[38]
Ignorance of the law is not an
excuse and there is no denial of natural justice. (See Corp. de l'École Polytechnique v.
Canada [2004] F.C.J. No. 563, at paragraph
32.)
3.
Was the Board’s finding that the applicant’s accident did not arise out of his
military service unreasonable?
[39]
The
applicant submits that the Board erred in law in its misinterpretation of
subsection 21(3)(d) of the Act and in its disregard for the statement of
Commander L’heureux, by concluding that the applicant was not on duty at the
time of the 1959 injury. Subsection 21(3)(d) states the following:
21(3) For the
purposes of subsection (2), an injury or disease, or the aggravation of an
injury or disease, shall be presumed, in the absence of evidence to the
contrary, to have arisen out of or to have been directly connected with
military service of the kind described in that subsection if the injury or
disease or the aggravation thereof was incurred in the course of
( d)
the transportation of the member while on authorized leave by any means
authorized by a military authority, other than public transportation, between
the place the member normally performed duties and the place at which the
member was to take leave or a place at which public transportation was
available;
|
21(3)
Pour l’application du paragraphe (2), une blessure ou maladie — ou son
aggravation — est réputée, sauf preuve contraire, être consécutive ou
rattachée directement au service militaire visé par ce paragraphe si elle est
survenue au cours :
d) du transport du membre des
forces au cours d’une permission par quelque moyen autorisé par une autorité
militaire, autre qu’un moyen de transport public, entre le lieu où il
exerçait normalement ses fonctions et soit le lieu où il devait passer son
congé, soit un lieu où un moyen de transport public était disponible;
|
[40]
Because the
applicant was not on leave, I am of the opinion that subsection 21(3)(d) does
not apply in the present matter. With that being said, I still believe the
Board erred in concluding that the applicant’s injury was not related to his
military service because he was not on duty at the time of his injury. The
Board said the following regarding the applicant’s on duty status:
Finally,
in reference to the duty status of the Applicant at the time of the March 1959
injury, the Board concludes that the Applicant had not begun his service for
that day, as he was still in the parking lot parking his car. The incident did
not occur while the Applicant was on duty. The incident is not attributable,
nor did it arise out of the Applicant’s Regular Force service. The statement of
Commander L’heureux does not conclusively resolve the legal issue of causal
connection between the claimed disability and service which arises in this
matter. It is a statement of Commander L’heureux’s understanding concerning the
Applicant’s reporting status, but cannot transform the provisions of subsection
21(2) of the Pension Act (which require a causal connection) into
insurance principle coverage provided only by subsection 21(1) of the Pension
Act.
(See
Board’s decision, dated May 27, 2004, respondent’s record at page 16.)
[41]
The standard of
review for a decision of the Board which determines whether or not there exists
a causal connection between the injury claimed and military service is
reasonableness (see McTague v. Canada (Attorney Genereal), [2000] 1 F.C.
647).
[42]
In order to determine
whether it was reasonable for the Board to hold that the applicant’s accident
occurred before he had begun his service for the day, “one must not look at an
activity in isolation but must appreciate whether that activity was performed
within the context of military service” (Schut v. Canada (Attorney Genereal),
[2000] F.C.J. No. 424).
[43]
In the present
matter, the Board concluded that falling on ice in the parking lot on your way
to work is not an injury that occurs in the course of military service. I
disagree with the Board’s finding. The Board’s decision to isolate the activity
in which the applicant was engaged in at the time of his injury from the
circumstances of his military service was unreasonable. The act of falling on
ice could take place anywhere. However, in the present matter the applicant was
on his way to work and on work property. The act of going to work is an
activity that directly relates to your military service.
[44]
In
conclusion, given that the Board’s decision regarding the weighing of
conflicting evidence was patently unreasonable, and that it’s decision
vis-à-vis the on duty status determination was unreasonable, this application
for judicial review is allowed. The Board’s decision should be set aside and
the matter referred for reconsideration by a differently constituted panel of
the Board, in light of these reasons.
ORDER
THIS COURT ORDERS that
·
the
application for judicial review be granted;
·
the
Board’s decision be set aside and the matter be referred for reconsideration by
a differently constituted panel of the Board, in light of these reasons.
“Pierre Blais”