QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Veterans Affairs
Report Recommendations
October 23, 2025
Minister, my question relates to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs June 2024 report entitled Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans, and specifically the first recommendation, which says:
That Veterans Affairs Canada, together with the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the allied countries, fund and implement a structured long-term research program on servicewomen and woman Veterans, and that this research be women-specific.
In the government’s official response, it appeared you agreed to this recommendation. Could you please confirm this is still the position of the government, the Department of Veterans Affairs and you as Minister of Veterans Affairs?
Thank you, Senator Patterson, and thank you for your service as well.
I acknowledge the service experience of women veterans is often significantly different from others. As such, we need to develop services and benefits specific to their needs, both during and after service.
I thank the members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, both past and present, and the witnesses who participated and contributed to the Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans report that generated the recommendations. This year, we will be able to say we are in the process of either starting or implementing all of those recommendations, including ongoing research that is being undertaken.
One example I know of, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research — or CIMVHR — conference, has been taking place this week. I know there are a number of research projects being undertaken.
Continuing to move forward with this is one of my priorities.
Thank you. That relates to my follow-up question. At this Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research conference, CIMVHR was identified as a collaborator on this study. Following the presentation at the CIMVHR Forum on Monday, one of the Veterans Affairs Canada, or VAC, officials said in response to an audience member’s question that, while there is a plan in place, there is no dedicated funding for implementation.
Can you confirm whether funding will be forthcoming in next month’s budget, or in any other appropriation acts in the current supply period?
I know that VAC does give funding to CIMVHR for research projects. I don’t have the specifics of that here with me now. I could follow up on that specifically.
