Question Period Note: ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GENERAL SUPPORT AND RECENT INVESTMENTS FOR VETERANS
• Our Government is committed to supporting and honouring Veterans and their families.
• We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that Veterans receive the respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserve.
• Since 2016, new investments totaling $10.3 billion have been made in Veteran programs and services. In broad terms, we have:
• Increased financial supports for Veterans, caregivers, and survivors, for example:
o Through Pension for Life, we have strengthened financial security with the Income Replacement Benefit and raised the amount payable to them from 50 to 70%.
o The Caregiver Recognition Benefit recognizes the important role of a caregiver by providing them $1,000 per month, tax-free.
• Supported a continuum of mental health services, including advancement of initiatives as part of our Joint Suicide Prevention Strategy; and introduced a Veterans Emergency Fund that addresses short-term, emergency financial needs of Veterans and their families.
• Made important investments to ensure Veterans are appropriately recognized and commemorated, including formal acknowledgement of the contribution of World War II Métis Veterans.
• Announced additional investment to address repairs and to ensure that the graves of those who served are well maintained. The work began in 2018 and will continue into 2023.
• Expanded supports to assist Veterans in securing employment through a new Education Training Benefit and enhanced Career Transition services.
• Expanded a range of services, such as:
o The Veteran Family Program expanded access through the Military Family Resource Centres to enhance information and referral services for medically released Veterans and their families.
o Reopened the nine Veterans Affairs offices that were previously closed and opened a tenth one in Surrey, B.C.
o Expanded departmental outreach to Veterans and their families in the territories and northern communities.
• Significantly improved services by streamlining benefits (6 benefits into 1 new Income Replacement Benefit) and introduced innovation to enable ‘end to end’ digital processing of applications.
• Made foundational investments in research and innovation through two new Centers of Excellence (Mental Health and Chronic Pain); introduced the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, which in the first two years funded 43 initiatives; and by supporting the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research.
• We continue to work closely with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence to ensure seamless transition from military to life after service.
• In April 2019, our Government introduced the Pension for Life program — a comprehensive benefits package that provides recognition, income support and stability to Veterans and members who experience a service-related injury or illness.
• Some 80,000 Veterans and other recipients were successfully transitioned from the previous suite of disability and financial programs to the new Pension for Life program suite.
• All of these investments serve to support Veterans and their families to receive the honor, respect, support and care they deserve.

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