Since you say "was" I assume this was in the past. If it was before 12 March 2010 that's not surprising, since that's when the new policy was issued. If it was since then, I suppose it could have depended on your trade, since only certain occupations are eligible. It's worth noting that the civilian engineers couldn't get their dues reimbursed by the government either until recently.
The CF policy I quoted above is available on the Internet at http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/pd/pi-ip/02-10-eng.asp
I start my new engineering position in January and I intend to claim my dues for the current year; I'll let you know how it goes.