Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Ledwell or Mr. Harris, I understand that the last post fund has seen a fairly significant decrease in its financial capacity since 2018-19. Yet we're told that veterans' cemeteries are in a pitiful state. Can you explain that?

Veterans Affairs committee  Even so, the last post fund's financial capacity has been reduced.

Veterans Affairs committee  Finally, in about 2013 they increased the amount paid to the Last Post Fund, almost doubling it. This was after being almost shamed into doing it. At any rate, I do see in the estimates that there is a decrease in the Last Post Fund from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Veterans Affairs committee  It would be in relation to the number of veterans passing, as well as the need for their services. There's a lower uptake. We're working with the Last Post Fund in terms of grave markers and other areas in which we can continue to work with them.

Committees of the House  Horrified that James Daly would not be given a proper burial, one year later, Arthur created the Last Post Fund, an organization that is still active today and whose mission is to provide a proper burial for veterans with no financial resources at the time of their death. Since 1930, many burials have taken place at the National Field of Honour, a private military cemetery in Pointe-Claire, on the Island of Montreal.

Veterans Affairs committee  I looked up the numbers, and in our budget we provide $24.4 million over five years to clean, repair and replace grave markers and so on. Headstones are available through the Last Post Fund, which is out of Veterans Affairs. Do you have an accurate flow of information available to Métis veterans about the benefits available to them?

Department of Veterans Affairs Act  Additionally, updates to the career impact allowance now ensure that each individual veteran is compensated appropriately for the impact of a service-related impairment on his or her career. We also increased the value of the Last Post Fund to appropriately commemorate the service and sacrifice of our veterans, and increased the estate exemption to make it easier for the families of veterans to provide a dignified burial for their loved ones.

National Defence committee  We know that funeral expenses for former CAF members are fully reimbursed, albeit with certain conditions, by the Last Post Fund. We also know that the military is looking to rectify omissions in awarding medals and other delays in cases of death by suicide. What happens with suicides of members of the forces who have not been deployed?

Veterans Affairs committee  fI have one more question and it pertains to the Last Post Fund. I'm sorry, but I missed some of what the minister said. I know that the amount a family can receive has been increased, but has the cut-off changed? It was $12,500. If you had assets of more than $12,500, you weren't eligible.

Veterans Affairs committee  The estimates also include an increase in the funeral and burial program that is administered by the Last Post Fund, which provides financial assistance for funeral and burial services, including grave markings for eligible veterans. This will make it easier for veterans' families to provide a dignified funeral and burial for their loved ones.

Veterans Affairs  These promises included re-establishing lifelong pensions; hiring 400 new service delivery staff, thereby doubling the numbers already committed to by the Conservatives; two new centres of excellence in veterans care, providing greater education, counselling, and training for families; increasing the veteran survivor's pension amount from 50% to 70%; eliminating the marriage after 60 clawback clause; and doubling funding for the Last Post Fund. We are a quarter of the way through the government's mandate and the minister has let veterans down. To add insult to injury, the government is taking veterans back to court and arguing that the government does not owe veterans a sacred obligation.

National Defence committee  I was then chair of the Council of Honorary Colonels of Canada, and I am now president of the Quebec Branch of the Last Post Fund. My colleague, Lieutenant-Colonel John Selkirk, also has extensive experience in the reserves. He began his service as a student in the militia, also known as the army reserve. He was then an infantry officer in the regular forces for 20 years.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1.  This can be accomplished by a government prepared to expand eligibility and increase funding for the Last Post Fund to ensure that all veterans can be guaranteed a dignified funeral. New Democrats value the work and sacrifice of our Canadian Forces and RCMP veterans and personnel currently serving, whether they served at home, in war, or in peacekeeping missions.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1.  Fourth, the disability award would be indexed to inflation, in line with other new veterans charter benefits, and higher awards would be paid retroactively to all veterans who have received an award since the introduction of the new veterans charter in 2006. Fifth, the act would also improve the Last Post Fund to provide financial assistance to the estates of eligible deceased veterans toward the cost of burial and funeral services. The estate exemption for families of low-income veterans would also be increased from roughly $12,000 to $35,000.

Veterans Affairs committee  As the minister indicated earlier in the morning, the Last Post Fund administers the program of funeral and burial on behalf of the department. With respect to this budget, one of the biggest criticisms had been that the estate exemption, which had been reduced in 1995, was not keeping pace with the growing costs of funeral and burial expenses.