Question Period Note: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

• We are committed to consulting with Veterans, RCMP, their families and the broader stakeholder community to create space for their advice and suggestions.

• Six ministerial advisory groups were established in April 2016 to provide advice and recommendations on issues related to policy, service excellence and transition, mental health, families, care and support, and commemoration have continued to share their views with me and with Veterans Affairs. Members include men, women, LGBTQ2+ and indigenous Veterans, representatives from Veteran stakeholder organizations, former RCMP, Canadian Armed Forces personnel, and subject matter experts who advocate on behalf of the Veteran community.

• The advisory groups are going through a renewal process to fill current vacancies. Diversity and inclusion are core public service values, and we will be prioritizing adding qualified new, diverse and under-represented voices.

• We have also been engaging with our stakeholders to discuss current and emerging issues through regular meetings, such as the Deputy Minister’s Coffee group

• We continue to prioritize meaningful engagement with Indigenous people. VAC has established relationships Indigenous leaders and organizations to identify common priorities and exchange of information.

• Consulting with Veterans and Canadians in general is important to the Department. Over the past year, we have completed consultations on the Future of remembrance in Canada, the Disability Benefits Application Process and most recently a consultation on accessibility.

BACKGROUND

Engagement with stakeholders is important to Veterans Affairs, which maintains open dialogue with Canadians in different formal and informal format. There have been a number of national and regional stakeholder summits and town hall sessions since 2016, which included participants representing over 60 stakeholder organizations, Veterans, members of six advisory groups, subject matter experts and government officials.

In early 2016, the Minister of Veterans Affairs established six advisory groups to provide advice and recommendations on issues related to policy, service excellence, mental health, families, care and support, and commemoration. Membership includes Veterans, representatives from Veterans organizations, Canadian Armed Forces personnel, and subject matter experts. Over 80 in-person meetings and teleconferences have been held to date. Recommendations from the advisory groups were considered for a number of Budget initiatives also including principle mandate commitments such as Pension for Life and the Departmental strategy on Wait Times launched in 2020.

On May 23, 2019, Veterans Affairs Canada hosted the first Canadian forum for women Veterans. The Minister of Veterans Affairs was joined by over 60 participants representing stakeholder organizations, members of the Minister’s advisory groups, subject matter experts and government officials. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic announced in March 2020, the annual in-person forum for women Veterans was postponed. In the interim, a three-part virtual series was organized in August and September 2020 to provide Veterans and Stakeholders updates to the 2019 forum for women Veterans. In October 2020, a fourth virtual event was held which allowed for a discussion with Veterans and stakeholders from the LGBTQ2+ community. The Department is currently working on plans internally for a Women’s forum in 2022 along with a LGBTQ2+ forum in 2022 as well.

VAC has established relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations which are helpful to identify common priorities and exchange of information. We connected regularly with Indigenous Veterans groups and national organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations, Metis National Council and Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones, as well as the Congress of Aboriginal People and Native Women’s Association of Canada. We continue to seek respectful and innovative mechanisms to help build deeper collaboration, consensus and new ways to work together by re-establishing relationships with different Indigenous organizations and associations, to better serve Indigenous Veterans.

In an effort to continue to communicate with our stakeholders, we have developed an online platform titled “Let’s Talk Veterans” which allows a far greater number of people to have their say on issues related to Veterans and their families. This accessible consultation tool allows us to quickly gather information from the Veteran community, including individuals and groups who do not attend formal meetings or provide feedback using more traditional avenues. The goal of this platform can help us better focus our efforts on improving how we design and deliver programs to meet the changing needs of Veterans and their families.

Veterans Affairs’ stakeholder approach continues to evolve as the Veteran landscape shifts and during the current COVID 19 context. The Department continuously identifies opportunities to enhance engagement with stakeholders, including Veterans’ organizations, at the national and local levels, and in a variety of ways, to make the most of their valuable input.

None