Question Period Note: WOMEN VETERANS

• June 12, 2025 marks the one year anniversary of the release of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) report, Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans.
• The report includes 42 recommendations to address the needs of Canadian military women and women Veterans regarding their physical and mental health, transition to post service life, and financial security.
• The ACVA report findings and recommendations reflect feedback gathered by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) through consultations with women, and discussions at previous Women Forums, particularly in March 2024.
• A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)-VAC Director General joint working group – Women Wellbeing was formed to provide oversight for recommendations from the ACVA report and aims to meet three times annually.
• VAC takes these findings seriously and we have been taking action. To date we have published new and revised Disability Benefit Entitlement Guidelines, consulted with women Veterans to develop a Women Veterans Research Plan and launched the Women Veterans Council.
• The Women Veterans Council, announced in December 2024, is made up of twelve military and Veteran women from the CAF and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), representing a variety of ranks, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Their inaugural meeting took place on January 29, 2025 and they have met quarterly since.

On June 12, 2024, ACVA released their first-ever report devoted entirely to the study of Canadian women Veterans entitled Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans. The report makes 42 recommendations, primarily directed to Veterans Affairs Canada (as the lead) and the Department of National Defence, to address the needs and concerns that Canadian military women and women Veterans face in their physical health, mental health, financial security, and in their transition from military to Veteran, from service to civilian life. Women have bodies, experiences and needs that are distinct from men’s. Military systems in place were historically designed for men, and women have had to work within a system that potentially causes additional harm, injury and illness. Notwithstanding some recent progress, many women have been left feeling invisible due to the lack of acknowledgment by Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) of women Veterans’ concerns and injuries resulting from their service. Due to this lack of acknowledgement and recognition for the unique challenges women face, despite their service, many women Veterans have difficulties even identifying as Veterans. The proposed response agrees with 29 of the recommendations; agrees in principle with 9 of the recommendations; takes note of 3 of the recommendations; and disagrees with 1 of the recommendation (on the advice of the Department of National Defence).
According to the 2021 census, nearly one in six Veterans are women. Women Veterans represent the fastest growing segment of Veterans in Canada.
Women Veterans have distinct lived experiences in the military and have unique needs after service. Women Veterans are more likely to have challenges across all of the seven domains of well-being, including difficulty in the transition to civilian life, different reproductive and sexual health challenges and needs, barriers accessing services, and reluctance to identify as a Veteran.
Despite the increasing integration of women into the CAF in recent years, many women as well as gender and sexually diverse military members face a hostile culture, as noted in the 2015 independent external review on sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in the CAF.
VAC has acknowledged that many challenges for Women Veterans remain, and has begun to address the issue of gaps in data and research challenges. VAC has formally adopted Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines to ensure VAC’s research systematically applies sex and gender considerations through all the phases of research. VAC is also collaborating with McMaster University and It’s Not Just 20,000 (INJ20K) to assess the impact on both military sexual trauma survivors and institutions when engaging in leadership-level conversations about Sexual Misconduct and Military Sexual Trauma. VAC is working with Statistics Canada to develop a more complete picture of the demographic characteristics and socioeconomic outcomes of Canadian Veterans and their families by linking census data with other government programs. This will result in a better understanding of specific Veteran populations including women, 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, and other underrepresented groups.
In 2023, Veterans Affairs Canada hosted the Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans Forum, on February 9th and February 16th. The intent of the Forum was to continue to provide an opportunity for VAC to focus on the experiences of underrepresented Veterans and encourage conversations and linkages with stakeholders that respond to the needs of women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans. This Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans Forum built on the 2019 Women Veterans’ Forum, the 2022 Women Veterans Virtual Series, and the 2022 LGBTQ2 Veterans’ Roundtable. VAC hosted a roundtable on Women Veterans Homelessness in November 2023 with community partners, academics, and women Veterans to better understand the grassroots work being done in the community and the factors that contribute to women Veterans homelessness. During this time, VAC also met with women Veterans for a series of planning sessions as we explore the establishment of a Women Veterans Council.
In March 2024, the Department hosted the 2024 Women Veterans Forum for 99 individuals who attended in person; 88 of those were women Veterans. Another 70 individuals participated online.The Forum focused on the unique lived experiences of women Veterans, where participants had the opportunity to engage with other Veterans and community partners working in areas such as life after service, women’s health, homelessness and recognition. The information gathered at the Forum will help the Department gain a broader understanding of women Veterans’ lived experiences, and challenges in accessing services. It also created opportunities to VAC senior management to engage in an intimate setting with women Veterans, sharing their stories face-to-face. Many action items were taken away from this event that the Department issued its report and is available on its website.

Q1 – What is VAC doing to better understand the challenges facing women Veterans with regard to their physical health, mental health and safety concerns?
Since 2019, a dedicated team to address Women Veterans' priorities is working collaboratively with Veterans, various government, community partners and subject matter experts to identify and address systemic issues specific to sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation of underrepresented groups within the Veteran population.
VAC hosts an annual Women’s Forum to engage with women Veterans and community partners to learn how to improve services, benefits and supports for women in areas including life after service, women’s health, homelessness and recognition.
The Honouring Her Service: 2025 Women’s Forum in Ottawa this March was a collaborative event involving Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. During the event, representatives shared updates on the progress made in supporting service women and Veterans following the 2024 Forum.
The Forum is largely community led, and registration is by invite only. It addresses critical issues affecting women (still-serving and Veterans) providing a platform for advocacy and policy discussion. In 2025, approximately 75 women attended in-person and approximately 133 attended virtually.
Activities for networking, professional development, wellness, community building and three educational sessions were offered on topics including; Menopause and Pelvic Floor Health - Empowering Women through Education; The Power of Connection - Women Experiencing Isolation; and Shaping the Future - A Collaborative Workshop on VAC’s Women Veterans Research Plan.
In November 2023, VAC hosted a roundtable on Women Veterans Homelessness with community partners, academics, and Veterans. VAC also held a series of planning sessions with women to explore forming a Women Veterans Council. In May 2024, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) concluded its sitting sessions as part of its study on women Veterans’ experience, in which VAC actively participated. On June 12th, 2024, ACVA released their report: Invisible No More. The Experiences of Canadian Women Veterans.
In December 2024 VAC established a Women Veterans Council. The Council, guided by its members' lived experiences and expertise, will offer insight to the Minister of Veterans Affairs on all matters of importance to women (CAF and RCMP still-serving and Veterans). The inaugural meeting of the Council was held on January 29th, 2025. They met again on r April 8th and 9th, June 3rd and 4th and the next is scheduled for September 16th and 17th, 2025.

Q2 – Is VAC aware of the experiences of women Veterans with regard to their transition to post service life and the supports they might require?
VAC is dedicated to enhancing transition services for women Veterans, considering their unique challenges post-service. Longitudinal research shows that women Veterans, especially those medically releasing, single, lone parenting, or providing care to others, may face a steeper income decline after leaving the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). VAC continues to collaborate with CAF and the Department of National Defence (DND) to improve the social, health, and economic outcomes of women Veteran communities. VAC and CAF/DND are exploring opportunities to align priorities and collaborate across departments on research to support women Veterans' health and wellness.
In Feb 2025, A CAF-VAC Director General Joint Working Group – Women’s Well Being was formed to provide oversight for the recommendations from the ACVA report. The scope is to provide an intersectional perspective to ensure issues impacting the health and wellbeing of women (still serving and Veterans) are considered in research and policy, programs and services and engagement activities relevant to successful military service, transition and the health and wellbeing of all Veterans.
Q3 – Is VAC aware of the experiences of women Veterans who have experienced sexual trauma during service?
VAC is aware that women Veterans are more likely than other groups of Veterans to report experiencing sexual trauma. VAC continues to engage in ongoing and targeted outreach, engagement, and research with women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veteran stakeholder groups, and is an active member of internal and external committees while supporting the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. These efforts aim to comprehend, recognize and address the experiences of women Veterans. Throughout the ACVA study on the experience of women, VAC actively observed and participated in the hearings, taking note of the meaningful testimony heard at the Committee.
Q4 – Is VAC aware of the unique needs of Women Veterans facing homelessness or housing instability?
VAC worked collaboratively with Infrastructure Canada on the implementation of the Veteran Homelessness Program to financially support community organizations in providing services and rent supplements to Veterans experiencing homelessness. VAC continues to expand its understanding of the unique needs of women Veterans and has overseen a scoping literature review on female Veterans who are at risk for homelessness. Additionally, VAC hosted a roundtable on Women Veterans Homelessness in November 2023 with community partners, academics, and women Veterans to better understand the grassroots work being done in the community and the factors that contribute to women Veterans homelessness.
Q5 – What is VAC doing to improve the programs and supports for women Veterans?
In September 2021, VAC added a team dedicated to processing disability benefits claims from female applicants/Veterans. This team is working to ensure we can systematically address the current barriers and close the gap in processing times for female and male applicants.
In 2024-2025 VAC, the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Fund sponsored two projects with organizations directly affecting the women Veterans community and four projects in 2022-2023.
VAC has a multi-year modernization plan for its disability adjudication tools: Table of Disabilities (TOD) and Entitlement Eligibility Guidelines (EEGs) with a completion date of 2025-2026. The EEG updates benefit Veterans in a variety of ways including: reducing the processing time for some applications; providing greater consistency, transparency and equity in disability benefit decisions; and reassuring applicants that disability benefit decisions consider each applicant’s unique circumstances, up-to-date medical and scientific evidence, and the diverse, health-related experiences of Canadian Veterans. These improvements ensure that the needs of women and gender diverse Veterans are considered from an equity and inclusive perspective.
To date this review has resulted in VAC making enhancements in January 2024 to the TOD Chapter 16 - Urinary, Sexual, Reproductive and Breast Impairment, to add more information about these types of conditions for both males and females. We also added instructions for decision makers about how to assess conditions for people who are receiving gender affirming care.
The EEGs have been updated to apply a veteran-centric approach, using Gender-Based Analysis Plus. In January 2022, VAC issued a new EEG- Sexual Dysfunction .To meet the specific needs of women Veterans, VAC has approved a number of non-prescription, over the counter products as first-line therapy for genitourinary syndrome of menopause and initial treatment measures for female sexual dysfunction.
VAC has also continued efforts to make inclusive disability benefits decisions by developing and implementing a new Sexual Dysfunction Entitlement Eligibility Guideline (EEG) to support decision making for females, males and clients who identify as gender diverse, including those who have experienced sexual trauma related to service. This work includes applying Gender-Based Analysis Plus to ensure that tools provide evidence-based decisions considering the diverse health-related experience of CAF members and Veterans.
VAC continues to integrate the work of Gender-Based Analysis Plus across the department and promote inclusion for all Veterans by recognizing the different impacts of policies, programs and services based on gender identity and expression, biological sex and/or sexual orientation, as well as intersecting identity factors, such as age, disability, Indigeneity, race/ethnicity, religion, and language. VAC has strengthened training on Gender Based Analysis Plus, and works to ensure that Women Veterans have access to programs and services that correspond with their unique needs.
In January 2024, VAC introduced a Women’s Health mailbox, a dedicated resource for sharing information and research on women’s health.
VAC hosts an annual Women’s Forum to engage with women Veterans and community partners to learn how to improve services, benefits and supports for women in areas including life after service, women’s health, homelessness and recognition.
The Honouring Her Service: 2025 Women’s Forum in Ottawa this March was a collaborative event involving Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. During the event, rrepresentatives shared updates on the progress made in supporting service women and Veterans following the 2024 Forum.
In March 2024, the Women Veterans Forum had 99 individuals attend in person; 88 of those were women Veterans. Another 70 individuals participated online.The Forum focused on the unique lived experiences of women Veterans, where participants had the opportunity to engage with other Veterans and community partners working in areas such as life after service, women’s health, homelessness and recognition. The information gathered at the Forum supported the Department to gain a broader understanding of women Veterans’ lived experiences, and challenges in accessing services. It also created opportunities to VAC senior management to engage in an intimate setting with women Veterans, sharing their stories face-to-face. Many action items were taken away from this event that the Department published.