A Seamless Canada for your Families

June 16, 2022 -  Defence Stories

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Lieutenant-General Frances Allen, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (left), Member of Parliament Bryan May, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence (centre), and the Honourable Mary Wilson, Minister responsible for Military Affairs and of Service New Brunswick (right) met with participants from Canada’s provinces and territories in Ottawa June 14th to ratify the Terms of Reference for the Seamless Canada initiative.

Seamless Canada was launched by the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces in 2018 with the goal of improving services to CAF members and their families when they move to a different province or territory. Since then, the Seamless Canada Steering Committee (SCSC) has been engaged in ongoing discussions with provincial and territorial governments and partners, as well as national partners, exploring opportunities to help military families receive fair and equitable access to public programs and services.

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The Department of National Defence (DND), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) met with provincial and territorial delegates in Ottawa June 14 to ratify the Terms of Reference for the Seamless Canada initiative.

Presently, the three main areas of focus for the SCSC are: access to healthcare, spousal and partner employment, and child and youth education across Canada. Some improvements within these focus areas have already been implemented. The 90-day wait period for health cards have been waived for CAF families; CAF members are granted essential worker status for movement between provinces and territories; a review of education barriers for students has been done; and additional employment and training support services for military spouses have been leveraged through the Military Spousal Employment Initiative and the Military Spousal Employment Network.

This year’s SCSC Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on June 14, 2022 at the John G. Diefenbaker building in Ottawa. Participants ratified a formal Terms of Reference – symbolizing their commitment to continue finding ways to improve relocations for CAF members and their families. Given that Seamless Canada was launched in response to Canada’s Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) initiative #24, in an effort to help alleviate stressors unique to CAF members and their families, it’s appropriate that the SCSC AGM coincided with the fifth anniversary of SSE.

Much work remains to be done. Currently, accessing local health care upon relocation is an issue affecting the greatest number of military family members across Canada. Access to healthcare is important for everyone – healthcare also helps ensure military personnel and their families are well-supported and remain resilient from the moment they join the CAF, throughout their careers, to the time they transition out of the military.

Seamless Canada is just one of many initiatives that the DND and CAF have launched in an effort to improve the lives of military personnel and their families, and is closely aligned with the CAF Journey (available only on the DWAN). Stay tuned for more Seamless Canada news, as the DND and CAF work with the SCSC to alleviate some of the many burdens for military personnel and their families when they’re relocated across Canada. 

Related Links
The CAF Journey (mil.ca) (available only on the DWAN)
The Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy
Spotlight on culture change initiatives for military personnel
National Defence hosts the fourth Seamless Canada roundtable with provinces and territories