OTTAWA—British Prime Minister David Cameron is making a personal plea to NATO nations—including Canada — to do more to look after their wounded soldiers.

While issues of Russian aggression and conflict in Ukraine promise to dominate discussions when NATO leaders meet next month, Cameron is putting the welfare of fighting men and women on the agenda too.

He wants NATO nations to sign on to what he calls a “landmark” charter that would be modelled on Britain’s own formal pact to ensure its service members are looked after.

“We should recognize the sacrifices made by our armed forces,” Cameron said.

Cameron set out his request in an Aug. 2 letter to NATO leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that spells out the agenda for their gathering in Wales in early September.

In his letter, Cameron says the top priority must be to reach an agreement on measures to boost NATO’s ability to respond quickly to any threat and deter any Russian aggression.

“We should agree how we can sustain a robust presence in Eastern Europe ... to make clear to Russia that neither NATO nor its members will be intimidated,” Cameron wrote.

Part of making NATO better able to respond to threats means spending more on defence to “strengthen alliance cohesion and signal that NATO means business,” Cameron said.

But he ended his letter by spelling out what he calls a “personal priority.

“I would like the alliance to establish a new charter that makes clear our shared commitment to our armed forces,” he wrote.

“A ‘North Atlantic Armed Forces Charter,’ signed by us all, would underline our commitment to treating our armed forces and their families fairly and providing them with the necessary support and care when they retire or are wounded or killed,” Cameron wrote.

And he said members of the military alliance could share best practices in this area, starting with the provision of medical care and support for injured service personnel and grieving families.

Cameron says the document would build on the U.K.’s existing covenant. That pact “recognizes that whole nation has a moral obligation to members of armed forces and their families and it establishes how they should be treated.”

The assistance provided under the covenant has included investments in prosthetics, assistance with housing around military bases and improved access to health care.

Veterans’ advocates in Canada have been pressing Ottawa to make just such a formal commitment to look after former soldiers.

Ottawa has been under fire for its treatment of veterans, with complaints that wounded soldiers are being financially shortchanged in the compensation for their injuries.

A spokesperson for Harper said that the prime minister looks forward to discussing the proposed charter at the summit.

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“Canada is proud to be a major ally and contributor to NATO operations and initiatives and will evaluate such proposals in due course,” press secretary Carl Vallée said in an email to the Star.

He also defended the government’s treatment of ill and injured forces members, calling it a “top priority.

“We remain dedicated to ensuring each and every ill and injured member serving our country receives high quality care and support,” he said.

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