BLUF: There is no solid data on how many vets we have and where. The 2021 Census will include a question for each Canadian, "Have you ever served in the Canadian military?" This will help to better allocated program funding and resources,a nd to understand where veterans are physically distributed.
From an email recently received:
So yeah, this is a definite win. Not the sort of thing that is always big and obvious in its impact- but data drives policy, policy drives accountability.
From an email recently received:
Minister of Veterans Affairs said:"Dear Stakeholders and Advisory Groups members,
I am pleased to let you know that the questions which will make up the 2021 Census are now public and will include a Veteran identifier question – the first since 1971. As Minister of Veterans Affairs, I was surprised to learn that there is no formal listing of Canadian military Veterans. This creates a significant information gap that hampers the ability to fully understand and respond to the needs of Canadian Veterans and their families. That is why Veterans Affairs Canada has been working closely with Statistics Canada and advocating for the inclusion of a Veteran identifier question on the national survey.
We recently learned that these efforts had paid off - the 2021 national census will ask, “Have you ever served in the Canadian military?”. The addition of this question will provide the first truly accurate data on Canada’s Veteran population in 50 years. The data gathered from this survey will inform programs, supports and services for Canadian Veterans and their families for years to come. This is truly a victory that ensures those who serve our country no longer remain hidden from official statistics and gives us the opportunity to put the best supports in place that they so richly deserve.
For the latest 2021 Census information and developments, I invite you to visit the Statistics Canada website The road to the 2021 Census.
Sincerely,
Lawrence MacAulay
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence"
So yeah, this is a definite win. Not the sort of thing that is always big and obvious in its impact- but data drives policy, policy drives accountability.