Canada. Director, The Veterans' Land Act : From the seventeenth century, the French and British governments settled ex-soldiers on the lands of present-day Canada, both to provide for retirement and as a bulwark against future invasion. Members of Loyalist regiments received land grants after the American Revolution, as did Canadian militiamen following the War of 1812. The Canadian government followed the same tradition with grants to veterans of the Fenian Raids, the 1885 Northwest Campaign and the South African War.
The first Soldier Settlement Act, 29 August 1917 (7-8 Geo. V, ch. 21), superseded by a similar Act of 7 July 1919 (9-10 Geo. V, ch. 71), provided returned veterans who wished to farm with loans to purchase land, stock and equipment. Nearly 25,000 took advantage of the scheme, borrowing 80 million. The government purchased over 38,000 horses, 61,000 head of cattle and 18,300 sheep and swine, along with large quantities of farm machinery. Use of marginal federal government land in the West and the collapse of farm commodity prices in 1920, combined with a failure by some veterans to recognize the difficulties of farming, meant that by 1931, only 11,612 veterans remained on their properties. Authorities recognized that a farm enterprise could not be capitalized up to 150% of the price of the property in interest-bearing debt [Walter S. Woods, Rehabilitation (A Combined Operation), p. 140]. Nevertheless, two First World War veterans were still paying off their loans in 1970, keeping the programme alive.
The Veterans' Land Act of 1 August 1942 (6 Geo. VI, ch. 33) allowed ex-servicemen to purchase land with the help of government loans, with additional funds for livestock and equipment. The repayment terms permitted settlers to establish themselves without incurring heavy initial debts. After meeting their obligations for ten years, settlers could be given grants for two-thirds of the cost of the land and improvements and the whole of the cost of livestock and equipment. Over 140,000 sought assistance to become full-time farmers (32,000), smallholders using their land to supplement their incomes (95,000), or commercial fishermen (1,420), all provided for in the Act. There were 5,841 settlers on Crown land and 1,800 First Nations veterans settled on reserve lands. In its first years of operation, funds loaned under the Act purchased 13,143 tractors, 1,162 combine harvesters, 7,600 horses, 30,566 head of cattle, 7,887 sheep and swine and 145 fishing boats. Reflecting changing times since the First World War, 4,116 kitchen stoves and ranges, 2,700 refrigerators and 4,881 washing machines were also purchased.
To alleviate the immediate post-war housing shortage, the Veterans' Land Administration built 2,673 houses for veterans across Canada. Poor workmanship, difficulty in getting repairs and high sales prices resulted in very harsh criticism in the press. Subsequently, under the "Build-Your-Own-Home" programme, some 4,300 veterans acted as their own contractors in a scheme which won considerable praise.
Loans for new establishments under the Act terminated in 1975, although new loans on existing establishments continued for a further two years. An aging veteran population had paid off most of their loans by the early 1990s and the government moved to fold the Veterans' Land Administration into the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Budget Implementation (Government Organizations) Bill of 1992. Although this clause was supported by all parties in the House of Commons, the bill apparently never passed. Today (2000) the Veterans' Land Act accounts remain separate within the Department of Veterans Affairs, although there is no one official charged with the programme.
The Director, Veterans' Land Act was appointed in November 1942 and operated as a distinct entity located with the Department of Veterans Affairs to administer the Act. Brigadier T.J. Rutherford, appointed in October 1947, took steps to integrate the Director's office more closely with the Department. As well as having officers at head office, the Director was represented in the district and regional offices of Veterans Affairs. The Director was also responsible for the remaining Soldier Settlement Act veterans and later for the Special Housing Assistance Program to supplement housing expenses for veterans of modest means. By 1967 the Director had become a Director General within the Department of Veterans Affairs hierarchy, and by 1982 an Assistant Deputy Minister.
