Veterans Affairs Committee on April 20th, 2026

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you, and it's for everyone who speaks French. It's not just me.

Mr. Apollon, please continue.

[Garrick Apollon]

Thank you, Ms. Gaudreau.

There are two recommendations I didn't have time to mention. First, there's the one regarding federal government procurement. We already have programs designed to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in government procurement. So why not do the same for veterans? It would really make sense to replicate a model like that, especially given the investments currently being made by the federal government. It would also allow us to tap into expertise, acquire skills, and improve the Canadian products we make for our military and for all our allies internationally. Veterans have travelled and worked all over the world. So they have a wealth of experience. They have a lot to contribute.

The other thing is a national promotional program. Recruitment in the forces is an ongoing process. People also look at what's happening with veterans. So, it would be fitting to create a program to promote and highlight all the veterans who are executives at major companies and entrepreneurs doing great things, to show that these people have faced challenges and are resilient. They are fighters in every sense of the word. They can inspire all Canadians and help recruit and attract young people.

Let me share a story. I work at the University of Ottawa. I often ask my students if they're interested in a position as a judge advocate general in the military. Not a single student ever says yes. We need to address this issue. What are we going to do about recruitment? We need to create promotional campaigns that also show what happens after military life.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I also thank the witness.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

This concludes the second round of questions.

We sincerely thank you.

Thank you very much for your service to Canada. Thank you for being with us.

We are completing our study. We look forward to bringing a report. Hopefully, it will be shortly before the end of the session.

That said, I will graciously call a short break.

When we resume, we will move on to another topic.

I want to thank the witnesses once again for their participation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

I'd like to give Mr. Richards the floor.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Thanks, Madam Chair.

I move the following motion:

That the committee report to the House its recommendation for the creation of an independent Canadian Military Honours Review Board with the specific mandate to review decisions made under the Directorate of Honours and Recognition and its precursor bodies when new evidence demonstrates that the reconsideration of a military honour is warranted to ensure that no error or omission was made.

I'll speak briefly to it.

Many of the people who have called for this board to be created have referred, of course, to the case of Jess Larochelle. For the benefit of those who aren't familiar with it, I'll briefly summarize it.

Jess Larochelle served our country in Afghanistan. He was in a post that came under attack by the Taliban. The post he was in was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was knocked unconscious, and when he came to, I think he knew he had some pretty serious injuries. I'll summarize what those turned out to be. Obviously, he had a concussion, but he also had blown eardrums, a detached retina, a broken back and a broken vertebra in his neck. Despite those injuries, he carried on and provided cover for a long period of time, and he was able to ultimately force back the Taliban advance.

There's obviously considerable heroism and bravery in what he did. He then carried on to make sure that he was there to participate in the ramp ceremony for one of his friends who had been killed in that action. It was at that point when he presented that he may have some injuries.

Unfortunately, it wasn't determined at the time that he would be awarded the Victoria Cross. He was given an honour, but not the Victoria Cross. I think there is a lot of new information now that's come forward about his case that would indicate he should have perhaps received the Victoria Cross.

This isn't about just Jess Larochelle. It's about many heroes who have served, particularly in Afghanistan, since the 1993 creation of a Canadian Victoria Cross, which has never been awarded. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan, and there are a number of stories of heroism and bravery that should have perhaps resulted in the awarding of the Victoria Cross.

The idea is for Canadians to understand that it isn't just about World War I or World War II veterans when we think about veterans. It's about those heroes who live among us now—those who served in Afghanistan and other places—and the idea that they should be recognized too. This gives an opportunity for those kinds of reviews to take place and for these heroes to be recognized in the way they deserve.

I want to thank a number of people. I want to thank Bruce Moncur, from Valour in the Presence of the Enemy, who has been relentless in pushing this forward.

I thank General Rick Hillier, who I think now admits, even though he was involved in some of these decisions at the time, that there may have been mistakes. It takes a big man to admit that a mistake may have been made. Also, I think he's clearly someone who many of our veterans, if asked who should be their voice behind this, would have at the top of their list.

Of course, I thank MP Pauline Rochefort for bringing forward this petition, and previous MPs who also brought forward petitions on this. I also thank my previous Conservative colleague, Erin O'Toole, who previously brought forward a motion in the House of Commons to try to see this happen. Unfortunately, it ultimately didn't get the support of the government at the time, but I believe we're in a place now where we're able to see this move forward.

I put this motion forward, and I certainly hope and expect it will get all-party support to move forward.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much, Mr. Richards.

I would like to acknowledge Ms. Rochefort, who's online and would like to say a few words.

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Veterans from across Canada who attended in person last week's presentation of petition e-6661—and there were related events that day as well—mentioned the support that was expressed by all parties in the House of Commons. They all spoke to the importance of that.

To some extent, as I expressed in my remarks when I presented the petition, it comes at a time when recent remarks by President Donald Trump risk distorting the records of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. In turn, it provides us with the opportunity to show, in a unified manner and with equal clarity, how Canada honours its own and recognizes courage and sacrifice at the highest level.

Today's motion by MP Richards enables us to move forward in a unified manner. I think this is in keeping with petition e-6661. It matters to over 20 million Canadians. This was reflected in the previous petition mentioned by MP Richards, as well as the one signed in this round by 16,000 Canadians. It was equally supported by motions of unanimous support in the Senate and three provincial legislatures—Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia—and there are two more motions of unanimous support to follow very shortly in two other provinces.

Thank you very much to the committee for this opportunity to speak today to this particular motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much, Ms. Rochefort.

I believe we are ready to vote.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Madam Chair, can I make sure that it's noted that it was unanimously supported by the committee? I think it's important that it be noted.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Perfect.

For the benefit of everyone listening, I will just repeat that the motion passed unanimously.

That will close this part.

I have a bit of housekeeping.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. We will resume our study on monitoring the rehabilitation services contract awarded to PCVRS.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adjourn?

The meeting is adjourned.