Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for raising the important issue of the benefits that Canada offers veterans and their families.
We all know that Canada owes a debt of gratitude to its veterans for their service and sacrifices. We understand that when a man or woman serves in the Canadian Armed Forces, the entire family serves with them. As the mother of two soldiers, I can confirm that. It begins on their very first day of military service and continues until the day they leave the armed forces, or even beyond that.
That is why Veterans Affairs Canada offers veterans a range of services, including financial assistance, support services following an illness or injury, and health and well-being services.
Although Veterans Affairs Canada plays an essential role in supporting our men and women who have served in uniform, it is the veteran's family that plays the main role, particularly when it comes to veterans who suffer an illness or injury.
Veterans Affairs Canada offers resources specifically for the families, such as the family caregiver relief benefit, liaison services, long-term care, and mental health services.
The role of the family is integral to the work of the department and what we are doing. We have done a lot since November 2015 to improve veterans' access to benefits and resources. We are continuing to look for ways we can better serve them. For example, we have reopened the nine Veterans Affairs offices across the country that were closed by the previous government, including one in Sydney, Nova Scotia. We also opened a new office in Surrey, British Columbia, and we are extending our outreach in the north.
Because mental health is a priority, we are committed to ensuring all eligible veterans and their families have the mental health support they need, when and where they need it. A new operational stress injury clinic opened in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, last June.
We are working hard to find out how we can do better, how we can deliver the resources and services that veterans and their families need, when and where they need them. We are also working to simplify the process for applying for and accessing these benefits. There is a robust arm's-length appeal process to address any issues that veterans or their family members may have with Veterans Affairs Canada.
We are here to listen to veterans and their families. I urge anyone who has an issue accessing benefits and resources to reach out to the department or to their local MP.