... In particular, I will expect you to work with your colleagues and through established legislative, regulatory, and Cabinet processes, including our first Budget, to deliver on your top priorities:
Work with the Minister of National Defence to reduce complexity, overhaul service delivery, and strengthen partnerships between Veterans Affairs and National Defence.
Re-establish lifelong pensions as an option for our injured veterans, and increase the value of the disability award, while ensuring that every injured veteran has access to financial advice and support so that they can determine the form of compensation that works best for them and their families.
Expand access to the Permanent Impairment Allowance to better support veterans who have had their career options limited by a service-related illness or injury.
Provide injured veterans with 90 percent of their pre-release salary, and index this benefit so that it keeps pace with inflation.
Create a new Veterans Education Benefit that will provide full support for the costs of up to four years of college, university, or technical education for Canadian Forces veterans after completion of service.
Improve career and vocational assistance for veterans through ensuring that job opportunities for returning veterans are included in Community Benefits Agreements for new federally-funded infrastructure projects.
Deliver a higher standard of service and care, and ensure that a “one veteran, one standard” approach is upheld.
Re-open the nine Veterans Affairs service offices recently closed, hire more service delivery staff, and fully implement all of the Auditor General’s recommendations on enhancing mental health service delivery to veterans.
Create two new centres of excellence in veterans’ care, including one with a specialization in mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder and related issues for both veterans and first responders.
Provide greater education, counselling, and training for families who are providing care and support to veterans living with physical and/or mental health issues as a result of their service.
End the time limit for surviving spouses to apply for vocational rehabilitation and assistance services.
Increase the veteran survivor’s pension amount from 50 percent to 70 percent.
Eliminate the “marriage after 60” clawback clause, so that surviving spouses of veterans receive appropriate pension and health benefits.
Double funding to the Last Post Fund to ensure that all veterans receive a dignified burial.
Work with the Minister of National Defence to develop a suicide prevention strategy for Canadian Armed Forces personnel and veterans ...