Question Period Note: VETERAN SERVICE CARD

• The Veteran’s Service Card was announced September 11, 2018 and was rolled out in three stages. As of September 20, 2019, Stage 3 was launched and the card is available to all Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces who were honourably released and have completed Basic Training.

• The Veteran Service Card is being issued and distributed by the Canadian Armed Forces, in close consultation with Veterans Affairs Canada and Library and Archives Canada.

• The new Veteran’s Service Card provides a tangible symbol of recognition for former members, and encourages an enduring affiliation with the Canadian Armed Forces.

BACKGROUND – VETERAN SERVICE CARD

In 2012, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman (OVO) recommended that Veterans Affairs Canada develop and implement a national Veterans Identification Card. The Office of the Veterans Ombudsman (OVO) felt that Veterans lacked a tangible means of identifying themselves as Veterans.

At the time of the Ombudsman’s report, a number of cards were available for Veterans for specific purposes but no single card addressing all requirements existed. Further, in February 2016, the Canadian Armed Forces discontinued the NDI 75 card that had been issued to retired Canadian Armed Forces members who had at least ten years of service. The NDI 75 provided a record of service.

The Government of Canada responded to a call for action by Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, and the Veterans Ombudsman, and introduced the Veteran’s Service Card in September 2018. It was implemented in three stages, with stage 3 being launched on September 20, 2019. The Veteran’s Service Card is being issued and distributed by the Canadian Armed Forces, in close consultation with Veterans Affairs Canada and Library and Archives Canada.

The new Veteran’s Service Card is issued using the 2008 Government of Canada definition of “Veteran” as eligibility criteria, i.e., any former member of the Canadian Armed Forces who completed basic training and has been honourably released. Eligible Canadian Armed Forces members released as of September 2018 will automatically receive a Veteran’s Service Card. All eligible Veterans who released from the Canadian Armed Forces before September 2018 and who did not receive a NDI 75 or CF 75 Record of Service Card can now apply for a Veteran’s Service Card.

The new Veteran’s Service Card provides a tangible symbol of recognition for former members, and encourages an enduring affiliation with the Canadian Armed Forces. It is important to note that the Veteran’s Service Card is not intended to be, nor recognized, as an official identification card, pursuant to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and other guidelines on identification cards.

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