QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Veterans Affairs
Report Recommendations
October 23, 2025
Thank you for being here with us, minister.
As referenced by Senator Patterson, in 2024 the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, or ACVA, produced its fifteenth report entitled Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans, which provided 42 recommendations to Parliament. Some of those included funding and implementing long-term research on servicewomen and women veterans, that Veterans Affairs Canada be more flexible in its assessment of secondary medical conditions resulting from military sexual trauma, and that Veterans Affairs Canada identify the barriers women veterans face in accessing benefits and services.
Would you tell me the number of recommendations from this report that have been implemented, or are in progress, and provide an update on your priorities in this regard?
Thank you, senator, for the question.
Again, I would just like to acknowledge the work that was done by the ACVA in undertaking that study, but even more so, the women veterans who came forward and participated in that process. I had the opportunity to meet with a number of those individuals on June 12 this year, on the one-year anniversary of that report. Their willingness to share their stories was so incredibly important, and their willingness to continue advocating is important.
Of the 42 recommendations, by the end of this year, all will be either implemented or in progress so that we can continue to move this forward. We acknowledge that this is part of a continuing discussion to expand on how we can best serve women veterans.
Thank you, minister. I know you hail from the West Coast, but I come from the East Coast. We have many important veterans organizations and service providers in Atlantic Canada, and we have Canadian Forces bases in Gagetown, Halifax, Greenwood, Gander and Goose Bay.
Could you share with us how many visits you have been able to make to Atlantic Canada in your capacity as the Minister of Veterans Affairs since you were appointed in May of this year? What are your plans for future visits to our region?
Thank you for the question. Yes, I have had the opportunity to visit Atlantic Canada once since my appointment. I’ve had the opportunity to be in Prince Edward Island to engage both with those working with and those serving our veterans in the delivery of services and benefits. I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with some veterans while I was on Prince Edward Island.
I have also been connecting with veterans across the country — in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia — and those efforts will be ongoing. There was a reference earlier to the upcoming Veterans’ Week, and I will certainly be taking that opportunity to connect with veterans in a number of locations across the country.
