Veterans Affairs committee  That's great. Ms. Le, you mentioned Helmets to Hardhats. As I told the previous round of witnesses, I met with the Canadian Construction Association earlier today. They really want to attract more people to work in Canada's booming construction industry, and one of the groups th

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. I want to start by thanking the three witnesses here today. You clearly speak with such care and compassion for our veterans, and the work you do is tremendous. It is a great service to veterans and to our country, so I want to commend our witnesses for their hard w

Veterans Affairs committee  That's great. It sounds like it's being used. The pension for life is rolling out in April. That fund, as you've mentioned, is for veterans and the pain and suffering they have endured as a result of service-related injury or illness. Hopefully, that fund will be utilized by the

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be splitting my time with Mr. Samson. In my short time on this committee, I've heard witnesses and others talk about the importance of veterans being part of the solution. Mr. Stanfield, you mentioned that when reaching out to homeless veterans, somet

Veterans Affairs committee  That is extremely powerful. I was meeting today with the Canadian Construction Association. They had read my bio and knew that I was sitting on the veterans affairs committee. They were talking about how interested they were to reach out to veterans to provide opportunities to t

Veterans Affairs committee  That same report by the Auditor General also critiqued the department's management of the drug benefits list. Medicinal marijuana is one of many ways in which veterans address their medical concerns. It was recommended by the Auditor General that the department look at creating a

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank both doctors for being with us today. Based on Dr. Courchesne's testimony, it's my understanding that the use of marijuana for medical purposes for veterans is in fact nothing new. In 1999 it became legal to possess medicinal marijuana, and

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to start off by thanking both of our guests for being with us today. I want to echo the comments that they and my colleagues on the committee have made with respect to the work of VETS Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion. I'm very lucky to have th

Veterans Affairs committee  It's 2018. Prior to that, if veterans needed access to emergency funding and support, and they called Veterans Affairs Canada, what would happen?

Veterans Affairs committee  The decision on whether to support a veteran is made by Veterans Canada. It's a new fund, and there's a tremendous need. This, to me, is in fact a great success because, as was pointed out earlier, 66% of the fund has already been spent for this fiscal year. Veterans are hearing

Veterans Affairs committee  With respect to rangers who are no longer able to perform service because of injury or illness, are they receiving the same supports that are available to veterans through Veterans Affairs Canada? Is there any differentiation in the level of supports and service?

Veterans Affairs committee  Unlike our other units of the Canadian Armed Forces, the rangers don't participate in military operations. They are not subject to the same principles that apply there. Can you share with us why that distinction was made, to your understanding, and whether that is working in the

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Walbourne, Ms. Hynes and Ms. Hansen-Reeder for being here today. I want to first congratulate Mr. Walbourne on his upcoming retirement. He has served for many years in our public service. Without a doubt, I wish him all the best as he moves

Veterans Affairs committee  To raise better awareness of the issues faced by indigenous veterans, education is so important. I do believe there is a lack of awareness and there can be better education around this for Canadians. What sorts of educational initiatives do you believe are important?

Veterans Affairs committee  We've talked about communication. You have mentioned culturally relevant service. Can you speak to what that looks like? What does that culturally relevant piece mean and how can it help indigenous veterans particularly?