Veterans Affairs Committee on Oct. 8th, 2026

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Chair, on a point of order, since the chair is answering questions on behalf of the minister, the question was with respect to military chaplains, not if the Legion invites a local spiritual leader to offer a prayer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Mr. Barrett, I wanted to make sure that it's understood that I'm very proud of my own Legion. I just wanted to share publicly that at my Legion, we do have spirituality and a pastor and priest. Thank you very much.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

I'm proud of my Legion too.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

I'm glad for that. Thank you, Mr. Barrett.

For the next round, Madame Auguste will be talking for three minutes, and then it's Mr. Fanjoy.

I will advise the minister that, just for interpretation purposes, Madame Auguste may ask her questions in French.

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I want to thank all the witnesses for being here today. We are very grateful to them.

Minister, like you, we know that the process and steps involved in applying for veterans' benefits can seem daunting and that all Canadians who submit forms to the federal government are concerned about processing times. This is a major concern for veterans. Therefore, I think it's important now and in the future to better understand the work that your department will be doing for them.

Can you tell us about the work your department does when processing a veteran's application for benefits or supports?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thank you.

Every application that a veteran submits for benefits and services is because they are reaching out for support. As previously discussed, while we've made significant progress in advancing responses and delivering in a timely way, there is a continued opportunity for us to enhance this, to improve and to make the process more streamlined for veterans.

This is very much at the core of the work that the stabilization and service modernization process is about. It is about being able to support veterans, to refine the process and to make it easier for them to access the benefits for which they are eligible. It is about using the public service resources that we have—the individuals, the people—to have interactions with veterans and to support them through technology with some of the administrative elements. This is very much about ensuring that we are able to deliver timely results to veterans to fulfill their needs and to expedite our service delivery, but in a way that is still comprehensive for the veteran and that keeps the veteran at the centre of it. We know those relationships and engagements are incredibly important.

Our department officials are certainly happy to speak to the specific elements of that, so I would turn to them to highlight some of those elements.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Ms. Auguste, you have 20 seconds left.

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

I'll give that time to the witnesses.

[Doug Wentzell]

Thank you for the question.

The department works closely with the Canadian Armed Forces because a key part of the process is our transition centre. We want to work with veterans early in the process so we can support them with our services before they leave the forces.

We are working with veterans and using our tools to promote the My VAC Account portal.

We have a presence in 28 transition centres across Canada. That's a key part of our process.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Fanjoy, you'll have about two minutes for your line of questioning.

[Bruce Fanjoy, Liberal, Carleton, ON]

Thank you, Minister and officials, for joining us.

I want to talk about the Royal Canadian Legion. This year, 2026, is their 100th anniversary. Less than two weeks ago in Carleton, we had an incredible celebration of that 100th anniversary. I'm an associate member of the Legion through Legion 314 in Manotick.

A veteran and historian identified 22 members of the Canadian Armed Forces from our community who were lost in the First and Second World Wars. They will be remembered forever on our cenotaph as a result of those events.

I wanted to ask, Minister, about how you and your department have been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion.

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

The opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of the Royal Canadian Legion over the past 100 years has been a significant milestone this year. We have been engaging through the department and through my interactions particularly over this summer, but as we lead into November 11, I've had the opportunity to participate with a number of Legions across Canada, from the Atlantic to central Canada to the west, in a number of different ceremonies that have acknowledged the work the Royal Canadian Legion has done.

Through the commemoration side of Veterans Affairs Canada, we have also supported Royal Canadian Legions with some of the legacy projects they are doing as part of this 100th anniversary. I have an example here in front of me. As part of the commemorative partnership program this year, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 112 in British Columbia has added a plaque to their cenotaph, honouring the contributions that were made in Afghanistan.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

I'll Just inform our minister and her officials that Madame DeBellefeuille will be addressing you in French, so please make sure that the interpretation is correct.

Thank you very much.

Mrs. DeBellefeuille, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent, BQ]

Minister, thank you very much for being here this morning.

You know, I'm brand new to the veterans file, but I did take the time to read the latest report on suicide prevention, entitled “Suicide Prevention Among Canadian Veterans”. I also read your response to the report, and, quite frankly, I was shocked.

I was shocked because I understand that, despite the 2024 report entitled “Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans” and the latest report on suicide prevention, you chose to state in your response that you do not recognize military sexual trauma as a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts or even death by suicide. I was shocked to read that, although you acknowledge it as a significant concern, it is not considered sufficiently traumatic to be recognized by your government.

Your response is based on your assertion that there is insufficient evidence to do so. To be honest, I was kind of in shock when you said that because I know that the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognize it based on a large body of evidence-based research. Australia has as well.

My question for you is this: When a military member experiences military sexual trauma, how does a Canadian veteran's experience differ from that of an American or Australian veteran?

Can you explain why you refuse to acknowledge the significance of this trauma?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thank you for the question. I will answer in English.

I would like to start by acknowledging the work of this committee on the suicide study and the incredible importance of it. I thank the committee for the time that was spent on that. In particular, I thank the veteran community, the family members and those who shared their personal experiences when testifying in that study. Again, it's an incredibly important topic that we are discussing.

[Claude DeBellefeuille]

Minister, I don't want to interrupt you, but I don't have much time and I really want to know your answer.

Please explain your rationale. Why don't you recognize military sexual trauma as a significant factor that could lead a veteran to die by suicide or attempt to take their own life? As you know, I have a clinical background. I told you about that, and I have experience in social services. I want to hear what you have to say because you can't refuse to acknowledge it if you can't explain why.

I have three minutes left. Explain to me why you refuse to acknowledge it.

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I certainly acknowledge the impact that military sexual trauma has on veterans who have served, both women and men. It is an incredibly important part of our consideration in this conversation.

Our colleague has referenced the study that was done in Australia. That is something our department has been looking thoroughly at and will be continuing to follow and have conversations about as we look at work that is being done around the world.

As it relates to this specific recognition, I would turn to department officials to share more on that.

[Claude DeBellefeuille]

Minister, I don't mean any disrespect, but before you turn to your officials, I'd like to speak directly to you. I will ask the officials these questions later, but right now I'm asking you, as a woman and as the minister responsible for veterans, to answer.

You heard from the witnesses during the previous study. There are also evidence-based studies from the United States. As a member of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, I attended the debate on Bill C‑22, which concerns access and information sharing. We were repeatedly told that we had to align with the Five Eyes, with Australia and the United States, and that we were the only ones not sharing this information.

Your government wants to expedite things and be efficient. Why not look to U.S. and Australian evidence to support recognition of military sexual trauma as an aggravating factor for suicide? What is preventing you from doing so? I don't understand your reasoning as a minister or as a female minister. I really don't get it. I'd like to hear your own opinion, not that of your officials.

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I appreciate the member's question.

Again, recognizing that this can be one factor in a continuum of factors that have an impact, it is incredibly important that we continue to have engagement on this. As I said, we will be looking to the Australian study. We will be looking to studies around the world as we move forward with the work that is done here in Canada and looking to continue to support veterans in their experiences, as we are with military sexual trauma and the work we are doing with the Canadian Armed Forces.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you very much.

We're now going to start our second round.

Mr. Tolmie, go ahead for five minutes.

[Fraser Tolmie, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for joining us today.

Minister, in previous roles, I would evaluate some of my staff, and I'd ask them to give their own evaluation of their performance out of 10. Would you do that for me today? What would you say on a scale from one to 10? You've been in this role for about a year. What number would you give yourself?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

That's a very interesting question. To my colleague, it's very difficult to put a context on that because there's a variety of different factors.

[Fraser Tolmie, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

That's fine. I'll just ask some other questions.

Minister, the department awarded an independent review contract of PCVRS in August of this year for $253,000 to Ference & Company. The contract is up in December. That seems like a tight timeline to do an evaluation on such a large, multi-million-dollar contract. What kind of response do you think we're going to get?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Earlier this year when I appeared at ACVA in the spring, I announced that a third party independent review of the RSVP, as delivered by PCVRS, would be undertaken. That work is ongoing right now, and I look forward to receiving the results of it and being able to come back and report on it.

[Fraser Tolmie, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Personally, I don't think you're going to get an answer by December. I think we're going to be in a bit of a muddle.

Minister, you said in your opening testimony that veterans should be recognized, not just on November 11, but every day. Your department couldn't tell me how many families of the 158 fallen were invited to the groundbreaking of the Afghan monument. You've said they'll be an integral part of the 2028 unveiling.

What will be different in the planning and when does that work start? We've had 12 years to plan that event.