Karen McCrimmon

[Veterans, May 20th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, the previous government closed offices, laid off staff, and made access to financial benefits for veterans very difficult. We are opening offices, we are hiring staff, and we have put $5.6 billion into improving the lives of veterans. That is what veterans want, that is what we heard at the stakeholders meetings, and that is what we will do.

[Veterans, May 20th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I have been long appreciative that Canada values its veterans and wants them properly supported.

The hon. member knows that I cannot comment on a specific case, let alone one that is going before the courts. However, let me assure the member that the care and the well-being of our veterans is a huge priority for this government and that the money put forward in budget 2016 is only the first step.

[Veterans, May 20th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, we understand that veterans felt ignored by the previous government, but we are a brand new government. In budget 2016 we have included $5.6 billion to increase the benefits for earnings lost, for permanent impairment and disability awards. With these changes alone, we will make tangible improvements in the daily quality of life for veterans.

[Veterans, May 13th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as I already indicated, I do not know about that particular issue. I do not have an answer for the hon. member right now, but I believe that kind of information is needed. We do need to share it. I will look into it and bring an answer back to this House.

[Veterans, May 13th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member cares about veterans, and I know that she wants to make it better for all veterans. This should be a non-partisan issue that we can all work on together to make things better for our veterans.

I did not know there was something missing from the website, but we will take that under advisement. If there is something missing, we will fix it and make it right.

[Kanata North Community Recognition Awards, May 6th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this week, I had the honour of attending the Kanata North Community Recognition Awards, where some of Kanata's exceptional volunteers were honoured.

Citizen of the Year went to Reem Tarek, and nominees were Cathy Briggs, Jen Muckler Nicoletta, Jez Blomqvist, Beata Myhill, Lianne Zhou, and Bev Popyk.

Senior Citizen of the Year was Shirley Yakabuski-Milligan, and nominees were Kay Gibbons, Mutah Ghamian, Pei Zhen Ma, Bing Zhang, and Jim Shearon.

Youth Citizen of the Year was Jacob Masciotra, and nominees were Shreya, Sia, and Vansh Anand.

Organization of the Year was the Arcadia Community Association, led by Jessica Cunha and Daniel Kircherham, and nominees were the Matthew House Furniture Bank and the Kanata Stocking Project.

Also a Special Community Award winner was Madame Nathalie Guay.

I am so honoured to serve the people of Kanata—Carleton, and I am so very proud of all our community volunteers.

[Veterans Affairs, May 4th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned that this process was started back in 2011, and from 2011 to 2014 nothing happened, a good three years. We have been in government for six months. I have talked to a lot of veterans about the proposed Afghanistan memorial and I heard no support for it. I heard a fair bit of criticism from the veterans who felt they were not consulted, and what they wanted in a memorial was perhaps not what was in the plan.

We are doing it differently. We feel we need to talk to these veterans. We feel their opinions and their contributions to this memorial, to its design, to its location, are important. We are going to do it differently, but we are going to do it right.

[Veterans Affairs, May 4th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to answer the question from the hon. member.

I know first hand, and I could not agree more. The men and women of the Canadian Forces quite simply did an extraordinary job in Afghanistan and their contribution deserves to be commemorated appropriately.

Commemoration is a key pillar of the mandate of Veterans Affairs Canada. As the member is well aware, Canadian veterans and those who died wearing Canada's uniform have made invaluable contributions to the development of our country as well as to our peace and security. Commemorative programs and events help to ensure that the memories of these achievements and sacrifices are preserved.

The minister has said in the House that he is committed to ensuring that the memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan gets built, but it will be done in a timely and respectful manner. The national memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan is indeed a priority in the department's plans and priorities.

More than 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan will be remembered in a meaningful way, as well as the hundreds of other Canadians who also bravely performed their duties in this theatre of war.

We will ensure that the memorial is built and it will be built in an appropriate location, a location that will allow Canadians the opportunity to pay their respects to those who served.

Commemorating our veterans' sacrifice is important to this government, but there are many ways in which a grateful nation can acknowledge, pay respect, or show appreciation for sacrifice. Monuments are important, but providing the resources by which veterans and their families can enjoy a secure future with quality of life is equally important, if not more important. This government committed in budget 2016 another $3.7 billion to provide veterans and their families with the care and support they deserve.

In addition, as we all know, nine Veterans Affairs offices across Canada will be reopened and a tent will be created in Surrey, B.C. We are increasing front-line staff and the number of case managers who will be working with our veterans and their families. This will give them access to the assistance they so desperately need and so rightfully deserve.

Canada is entering an important period of commemoration and there are a number of commemorations on the horizon. July of this year commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Battles of the Somme and of Beaumont-Hamel, and next year Vimy Ridge.

Without question, the world is better and safer because of the efforts of Canadians on the field of battle and in peace support efforts. Lasting recognition of those efforts, such as the memorial that we are discussing today, is vitally important. We must ensure that current and future generations have places where they can gather in remembrance to honour the sacrifice made on our behalf.

[Veterans, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question because it is about making sure that this government consults and gets out there, gets the right information, and gets the advice it needs in order to make the right decisions.

Right now, because of the inaction of the previous government, the list of work that needs to be done in Veterans Affairs is huge.

We need to talk to all these different groups of people to find out how to prioritize all this work that needs to be done.

[Veterans, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question. It is an excellent question, because this is something I really want to share with the rest of the House.

The Minister of Veterans Affairs wants to find out what the issues are for veterans. He wants to give veterans the opportunity to come to Ottawa to sit down with the people and share that information. In the past, that information had been controlled. I am going to sit down with all of these six groups, and we are going to find out, and we are going to—