QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Veterans Affairs
Affordable Housing
February 15, 2024
Thank you, minister.
Minister, just before Christmas, a committee in the Nova Scotia Legislature heard how the cost-of-living crisis has led to homelessness for some serving members of the CAF posted in Halifax. The Nova Scotia executive director of the Royal Canadian Legion told the committee that active military members are:
. . . “living rough” in tents, out of their vehicles, couch surfing, and sometimes engaging in interpersonal relationships for the purposes of securing housing, “which often at times makes them victims of domestic violence.”
This is quite a serious epidemic, as he described it, and it needs to be tackled.
Minister Blair seems to be in denial of all of this. The National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman says it’s true. The executive director of the Royal Canadian Legion of Nova Scotia says it’s true. I live in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. There are tent cities everywhere.
What is the Government of Canada going to do about safe and affordable housing for the men and women currently serving —
Thank you, senator. It is time for the answer.
Once again, the whole issue of housing is a top priority for our government. We continue to make historic investments to ensure that there will be sufficient housing for young people in our communities.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, I can tell you that we’ve made some exciting investments in recent years to ensure that housing will be available for our veterans.
For example, we invested over $80 million in last year’s budget, and over the next few months, we will be making announcements regarding the various community groups that have received grants. These groups will be able to offer veterans the additional services they need, such as mental health and addiction services.
We continue to work to resolve this situation, because we recognize that it is urgent.
I’ll make sure to tell those people in the tents that.
My understanding is Veterans Affairs has a small group of people who are commissioned to identify Canadian war victims in Europe through DNA testing. Now I understand that Veterans Affairs has decided they’re going to discontinue this program and let it go. I’m wondering if you can tell us why.
We continue to do work with respect to that very important area and the area of commemoration. With respect to repatriation and the rest of it, it always continues, and as I’ve indicated to the comment earlier, we will continue to support the initiative, be it in Newfoundland and Labrador and in other areas as well. We continue to work in close collaboration with DND in order to make sure that work continues. It’s very important. Again, I’m very happy to continue to proceed with respect to the work that’s being done in that field.
