Veterans Affairs Committee on Oct. 21st, 2025

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I disagree with your saying they're not working.

With that said, there are actionable steps we are taking to improve the process, including redesigning the disability benefit application form. We are making it more inclusive and the questions clearer, and we are simplifying and standardizing the medical questionnaire to make completion of the forms easier and quicker, incorporating technology to support decision-making so our decision-makers can be focused on that and be supported with summarized information that can then help them spend time engaging in the decision-making.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

Thank you, Minister.

I want to remind all members that the minister is here to answer questions. If we want to play monologue, I'm fine with that, but I would urge each of you, out of respect, to allow the minister the time to answer the questions being asked.

Ms. Auguste, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Minister, I'd like to understand your medium to long-term vision.

What are your department's priorities for veterans beyond immediate and ongoing management?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thank you for your question.

I will answer in English. However, I continue to work on learning French.

Thank you for the question about the priorities.

I spoke to three of my priorities right now in my opening statement as they relate to ensuring we are making the benefits system more accessible and ensuring delivery and access to them. In my response to MP Richards, I spoke to some of the tangible steps we're taking to do that.

As I also referenced, we see an increasing number of veterans coming forward to access benefits, so we need to make sure we are able to respond to that increase in numbers with services and systems to be able to welcome all of them and make sure they have access to the supports. I want to make sure we're continuing to move forward.

Is there the opportunity to improve user experiences? Always. There should always be a growth opportunity. I embrace that.

Second, I am looking to advance that national veterans employment strategy. We know the individuals who are releasing are incredibly skilled. We know there is great community that also comes from our employment and from the neighbourhoods we live in, and I want to make sure we're supporting all veterans with that type of community.

My hope is that we can build on this program, roll it out and then, in time and over the long term, continue to build it so that the skills translation we've identified becomes a model that can be replicated throughout other areas as well.

Third, the conversation I've had out in communities about the modern veteran, for many people, is new, and I hope we can reframe that conversation. I hope we can have conversations daily about recognizing veterans and the fantastic contributions they've made to our country and continue to make to our communities.

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

You touched a bit on the issue of bureaucratic barriers that veterans and their families face when trying to access the support and benefits to which they are entitled.

Could you tell us both about the red tape that you have sought to eliminate and about what motivated the streamlining of those processes?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Certainly.

Some of the feedback we have received is that the forms can feel challenging. They can feel confusing and they can create barriers to completion, so we are going back and reworking the forms with simpler language. We are trying to reduce those barriers so that doesn't become an additional challenge to a veteran having access to the services and funds they need.

I'm sure we may talk about it again later, but with regard to mental health, rather than having individuals wait for a claim to be processed, we've made access to mental health available immediately. Those are two examples.

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

Concerning mental health, as you know, we are currently studying issues related to suicide and suicide prevention to better understand those aspects.

If supports are not currently available for veterans and their families, is there anything you would like to add in light of this study on suicide?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

First, I would like to acknowledge and thank the ACVA committee for hearing testimony and conducting a study on this very important topic. I would also like to acknowledge all the individuals who are participating as witnesses and sharing their personal stories. It's a challenging topic. It's an emotional topic, and my appreciation goes to those who are sharing.

We need to continue investing in mental health supports for our veterans for suicide prevention. We acknowledge the impact of what the veterans are feeling, but we also acknowledge family members, including spouses, children and caregivers. Again, much like service, it is life-changing. We need to make sure that we are helping and giving support to veterans before we get to this point.

Again, I acknowledge the importance of this topic and thank you for undertaking a study on it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

We have 10 seconds, so I will respectfully move on. I apologize.

Ms. Gaudreau, go ahead for six minutes.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I think we have the very essence of what we can hope for when it comes to services for veterans.

One of my colleagues felt very strongly about certain problems, which unfortunately still exist.

It should be noted that the Minister of Veterans Affairs has been in her position for five months. I wanted to know what commitments were in her mandate letter. They are certainly described in a general way. I checked the Veterans Affairs website. Of course, the information provided on this matter is also very general.

I want to ask you a very simple question.

As part of the commitments in the mandate letter, what is your priority and how much progress have you made in terms of your commitments or your priority?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

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

You mentioned the mandate letter and how that connects to Veterans Affairs.

Within the mandate letter there were seven key missions. Of those, we identified that the engagement of Veterans Affairs aligns with three, so I'll speak to all three, if possible.

The first is that one of the topics is specific to housing, so that connects with the veteran homelessness program that has been undertaken. We are making progress with it and connecting veterans, so that we don't have a homeless veteran. I've had the opportunity to be engaged with some of the housing developments that benefited from that funding supporting them. I have connected with some of the veterans, specifically those who have gone into their transitional housing through the program in Kingston, the Homes for Heroes there. I met a couple of veterans who went through that program and had funding from that strategy. They are now in permanent homes because of what was possible through the transitional housing. We are also funding a number of programs through this. That includes housing, but it also includes the wraparound supports that are necessary, with the housing, to address their needs. Again, I've had the opportunity to meet with a few of the funding recipients and to talk with the veterans about how key that is related to them. That is specific to the housing mission.

Second, there is a mission to increase government efficiency, or, as some put it, reduce red tape. This goes back to some of the steps that we are undertaking, as a department, to make it easier for veterans. We want to make sure that veterans are able to get the supports they need. We want to make the processes easier, reduce redundancy and focus on that experience.

Third, we talk about building and protecting Canada. Well, that comes back to investments we are making in CAF and in service members who are protecting Canada. We know that when an individual enters CAF, we have a commitment to take care of them for the long term, for their life, and that's when Veterans Affairs supports that. As we're making investments in CAF and supporting new members joining, we also have a responsibility to take steps to prepare to engage with them for the long term and to be here to support them.

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

With all due respect, Madam Chair, I would like to remind you that many people are listening to us and watching us.

I would like to come back to the department's three priority objectives. At this time, we need to have a picture of the real situation to see if any progress has been made.

I want to trust you. However, the veterans I have met have all told me that they do not trust the promises of services. I give the example of the My VAC Account.

How can someone living in a tent with mental health issues access their file online? That's a major problem.

In order for the committee to give hope to the people who dared to serve us, it will be important to know whether progress has been made. If none has been made, we'll have a problem. I expect that we will have a picture of the situation and a set objective. We will then inform you of the most pressing priority areas as part of our study on suicide prevention among veterans.

I know my time is up. I'll come back to that later.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

This concludes our first round.

We are moving on to the second round of questions.

I invite Mr. Richards to go ahead for five minutes.

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

Thanks.

Minister, including the women veterans council, how many ministerial advisory groups do you have advising you?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

We have six advisory groups. We have the women veterans council. I believe there's one other departmental one.

I turn to my officials to add to and clarify that.

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

Okay, that's fine. We'll have some time with them in the next hour.

Can you tell me how many of them you've sat down and met with personally?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I have met with the chairs of all of the advisory committees, and I have met with the women veterans council. I've also met with a number of the other stakeholders and advisers, including the ombud and a number of stakeholders who represent veterans across the country.

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

How often do you plan to meet with those advisory groups?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

My plan is to meet with them on a consistent basis, but I do not have a set schedule per se.

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

We had a witness here two weeks ago who sits on the women veterans council, and she indicated that she felt like there was absolutely no access to you as the minister. She went on to say that she felt like they were just treated as a prop rather than as something that is actually designed to provide advice, and also that everything seems to be filtered through the department.

What would you say to that, and what would you do to try to improve that?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

First off, I thank Captain Le Scelleur for her service and for her participation in the women veterans council. I believe she is the witness you are referring to, and I had the opportunity to watch her testimony. I thank all of the members of the women veterans council specifically and all of the advisory groups for participating and volunteering their time to be a part of this. I appreciate the value that the women bring from the women veterans council specifically, informing public policy and sharing their experiences. I've heard and I appreciate the captain's feedback specifically about the women veterans council and the request for more clarity on a mandate.

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

I suspect that probably part of this comes down to.... Madame Gaudreau was alluding to this, too. Although you may spend some time with them and may hear what they're saying, they don't really feel listened to, because nothing changes; there are no results that come from it. It goes back to some of the questions I was asking earlier. There don't seem to be any results. We've come up with a strategy, and then you can't even tell us whether there are really results from it. I think that's probably why the veterans feel that they're not listened to. They might have physically been in a room, but they don't feel like they were actually listened to and that their suggestions were taken into account.

I guess that's really where I think there needs to be some improvement, and I'll just turn to an example of that: the construction of the monument to the mission in Afghanistan. You know, it's been on the books for a long time now. Over two years ago, there was a design that was announced, but there's been no construction. Your annual report says:

The construction of the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan is a priority for the Department.

I think veterans see things like that and say, “If that's how you treat your so-called priorities, how can I ever expect to get any results?”

Tell us where that monument's at in terms of its construction. Tell us why veterans should believe that when you say things are going to be better, they will be better, when your answer—as I know it will be—is that there is no construction happening on that monument. Why should veterans believe what they're hearing? Why should they expect better results?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Delta, BC]

That monument is incredibly important as a symbol of reflection and commemoration to recognize all those who served and their families. We took in feedback from thousands of veterans about how they wished to be acknowledged for their contributions, and progress is being made. To give you more specific updates, I will turn to one of my officials, who would be able to share those details.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marie-France Lalonde]

We will look at the officials' details in round two, Minister, with your permission.

I will invite Mr. Clark for five minutes.

[Braedon Clark, Liberal, Sackville—Bedford—Preston, NS]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister, very much for being here.

Thank you to the officials here, as well.

Minister, one of the things you said in your opening statement that really stood out to me is the fact that the average age of release of a veteran now is 34. That certainly is a lot different from the conventional definition that we have in our minds of a veteran. I think it also presents both challenges and opportunities for the department, which you've touched on.

If we think that the average veteran is coming out at the age of 34, that means that they have decades of employment service, hopefully, going forward. In an earlier round, you touched on the national veterans employment strategy. I'm just wondering if you can talk a bit about that: the goals, what you're trying to achieve through it and how the department is working with employers in both the public and private sectors to make sure that those veterans, many of whom, as we say, are in their early to mid-thirties, are being supported as they move through the rest of their lives.