ALS Society of Canada seeks $50M to study why veterans face double ALS risk The ALS Society of Canada is urging Ottawa to commit $50 million for research into why military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS. The call follows new attention to the issue, including the death of veteran Bill Duff, who died Sept. 4 after a decade with the disease. The ALS Society of Canada is asking the federal government to commit $50 million toward research into why military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS. The request comes as Ottawa signals it is taking notice of recent findings, first reported by CTV News, while the cause of the higher risk remains unknown. Defence Minister David McGuinty said the reports are concerning but added he has not seen evidence of a direct causal link between military service and ALS. He said federal health officials, including the surgeon general, may be aware of the findings and following up.Conservatives Back Veterans ALS FundingMcGuinty said it is a concern not only for ALS but for any other disease that might result from service, though he stressed it is early and the government will look into it. The push for more federal research dollars is drawing support from the Conservatives. Michael Barrett, the Conservative critic for veterans affairs and a veteran himself, said the government should provide the funding being requested.He said the government can and should always do more for the men and women who have served the country with unlimited liability. For the family of 39-year-old Bill Duff, the issue is deeply personal. Duff, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and father of two, died Sept. 4 after a decade-long battle with ALS.Before his death, he used a specialized communication device to tell the ALS Society of Canada what life with the disease was like and to share his hopes for his children. Duff said living with ALS meant dealing with pain every day, and he worked hard to keep that part from his kids.Duff's Navy Service And ALS StruggleHe said he wanted the memories they carry into the future to be the good ones, moments of joy rather than a record of how hard the disease had been on the family. Duff served 16 years in the Royal Canadian Navy as a marine engineer before being promoted to Petty Officer. In the later stages of his illness, Duff spoke about the importance of investing in ALS research.He said the truth was that federal funding would not help him now, but for thousands of Canadian families, a cure or even treatments that slow the disease would mean everything. He also explained why federal funding mattered to him even though it could not help him personally. Duff said federal funding matters because he did not want other families to experience what his family had gone through.His message has added urgency to the ALS Society of Canada's request for a specific investment aimed at answering why veterans appear to face twice the risk of developing the disease. Veterans Affairs Canada Minister Jill McKnight said in a statement to CTV News that the government has committed $25 million over 10 years to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. The department points to that commitment and other investments in broader veterans' health research.The federal government has not directly said whether it will provide the requested $50 million. With files from CTV's Adrian Ghobrial.