Per an information bulletin issued by the Ministry of Attorney General, a public engagement on whether police officers should be eligible to apply for a veteran licence plate in British Columbia recently started.
Starting more than a decade ago in 2004, military veterans have been eligible to apply for a special veteran licence plate to recognize and honour their service to their country.
Since the program was created in 2004, there have been approximately 57,000 veteran licence plates issued in the province of B.C.
The licence plates are issued and administered by the British Columbia Veterans Commemorative Association’s volunteer Second World War and Korean War veteran members, on behalf of the provincial government.
Reportedly, since the program’s inception, the Government of British Columbia has received requests to expand the eligibility criteria for the licence plates. This would be to allow other groups of drivers — such as police officers — to receive a veteran licence plate.
Most recently, the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Veterans’ Association and others, have requested the Province and ICBC consider making the plates available to police officers – specifically RCMP members.
To further clarify as to where British Columbians stand on the issue, the Province is seeking public feedback to help guide any future program decisions. To learn about the current eligibility criteria and take part in the survey, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/veterans-licence-plate.
For the purposes of issuing veteran licence plates, there is no current consensus within Canada on the definition of a veteran.
The public engagement closes Sept. 4, 2018, at 4 p.m.
