Minister Hehr reaffirms Government of Canada's sacred obligation to Veterans

“In last year’s election campaign, we promised Canadians a government that would uphold our sacred obligation to Veterans. That promise was reiterated in my mandate letter and I remain committed to it.

“We have a mandate to serve Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their families, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms that I believe it is my responsibility as Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of all Canadians, to make sure their service to Canada is recognized and honoured.

“To me, that means we work to provide Veterans and their families with the best benefits and services we can. We have made great strides in doing just that. You need look no further than what our Government has done to increase the Disability Award, expand access to the Permanent Impairment Allowance, provide injured Veterans with 90 percent of their pre-release salary, and the list goes on.

“It means that we treat each and every Veteran with care, compassion and respect. It means that we help every Veteran and his or her family make the sometimes difficult transition from military to civilian life. It means that we honour every Veteran’s service in a meaningful way. That is my job. And, make no mistake, I consider the work we do to be part of a sacred obligation to Canada’s Veterans and their families. We clearly recognize that obligation to Veterans and the Prime Minister said exactly that in his mandate letter.

“We delivered on $5.6 billion in financial security in Budget 2016 and will continue delivering on each item outlined by the Prime Minister in his mandate letter, including the option for lifelong pensions for injured Veterans.”