Counsel for Members of the Class Action and the Government of Canada Reach Agreement in Principle Regarding SISIP Long Term Disability Benefits

The guy the writes the letter for Peter would know what to write to keep him able to role with agreement or changes. A buddy of min used to sit in that chair and he crafted words to ensure Peter had escape clause if change of agreement when the key cats sat down for final review.

Rags,

An interesting point I have noticed is, in other high profile Agreement in Principle contracts there was almost always a clause stipulating the right to negotiate an amendment to the original Agreement in Principle contract, Hence my thoughts that perhaps this could also be the case in our proposed Agreement in Principle, perhaps not, but would be interesting if it were. Need confirmation from someone in the know.

LTD4me

It is as detailed just an "agreement in principle" and ya know what that means rather clear. It is not a done deal.

In diplomat terms it means we have the key stumbling blocks agreed upon and we are ready to sign once the two parties lay it out before there people for final review.

Love the play on words LTD4me.

An agreement in principle is an agreement that makes the major terms clear, laying the groundwork to make a contract. Agreements in principle are not legally enforceable as a general rule because they are not formal contracts, although sometimes they will be used in legal cases if there is a dispute. For people outside the legal field, this type of agreement can be confusing because it may make it seem as though everything is agreed when this is not actually the case.

When two parties are working together to reach an agreement, they often have a great deal of debate about the major points and terms, especially when the agreement surrounds a contentious issue. The process of nailing down the basics of the agreement leads to an agreement in principle, in which both parties arrive at a set of generally agreed-upon terms that will be used in the final contract. This is essentially the foundation of the contract, used when drafting the language because it includes everything the parties have negotiated.
A number of things can upset an agreement in principle. For example, when a bank reaches one with a customer and pre-approves a mortgage, the bank may later decide after additional investigation to change the terms, offering less money or a higher interest rate on the basis of newly learned information about the customer. Likewise, when diplomats reach this sort of agreement with their negotiating powers and take it home, government officials may reject or request modification to some of the terms.

The agreement is not legally binding because it has not been finalized. However, it indicates that the two parties have reached some level of consensus and that they intend to move forward with a contract. As a result, backing out of the agreement or radically changing the terms may be viewed as an activity in bad faith. For example, when a country reaches an agreement in principle with another and then reneges, it can make them look bad in the eyes of the international community.

It's important to note that the term is “agreement in principle,” not “agreement in principal.” These two homonyms are often confused, even by experienced English speakers. In this case, it can help to remember that it is the principles of an agreement that are included in the document.

ref: http://www.wisegeek.com/in-law-what-is-an-agreement-in-principle.htm

Here is a link to a statement from Honorable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence dated January 9 2013

Take note of the definition of "agreement in principle" it is VERY interesting especially the part of the definition that states agreement of principle is "incompletely specified" could this have left a back door for an addition of some of our concerns???????? any comments???

Link to statement: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/mobil/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=4579
Counsel for Members of the Class Action and the Government of Canada Reach Agreement in Principle Regarding SISIP Long Term Disability Benefits

NR 13.002 - January 9, 2013

OTTAWA – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced that, pending court approval, the Government of Canada, through the Department of Justice, and the counsel for members of the class action have concluded discussions to resolve the issues raised in the class action of Dennis Manuge v. Her Majesty The Queen.

“The well-being of both our serving and retired members is very important for the Government of Canada,” said Minister MacKay. “Acting quickly and fairly to resolve this matter is of the utmost importance, and I am pleased an agreement in principle has been reached.”

Today the Federal Court approved a notice to inform the class members that an agreement in principle had been reached regarding the reduction of Pension Act disability benefits from SISIP Long Term Disability benefits. A Federal Court hearing for approval of the agreement will be held on February 14, 2013 in Halifax.

The Canadian Forces Long Term Disability Income Replacement program is a disability group insurance plan administered by SISIP Financial Services that provides Canadian Armed Forces members with replacement income protection and vocational rehabilitation if they are released from the Canadian Armed Forces for medical reasons or take a voluntary release but qualify as being totally disabled.


Link to legal definition of :Agreement in principle http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/agreement_in_principle
DEFINITION
English

[edit] Etymology

agreement + ( in + principle )

[edit] Noun

agreement in principle (plural agreements in principle)
1.(idiomatic, law) A legally enforceable, but incompletely specified, agreement between parties that identifies the fundamental terms that are intended to be or are agreed upon.