16 January 2025
13:00 – 16:00 ET
Virtual – Microsoft Teams
Care and Support Advisory Group members
- Lieutenant Navy (Retired) Sylvain Bouliane, VeteransCanada.ca
- Mary Boutette, The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre (Member Co-Chair)
- Second Lieutenant (Retired) Walter Callaghan, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto
- Major (Retired) Jorma Hamalainen
- Major (Retired) Bruce Henwood, National Council of Veteran Associations
- Sergeant (Retired) Andrea Newton (Care and Support Advisory Group co-chair)
- Alexa Pasha, Royal Canadian Legion
Policy Advisory Group members
- Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Lori Buchart
- Lieutenant (Retired) Carolyn Hughes, Royal Canadian Legion
- Captain (Retired) Dennis LeBlanc (Policy Advisory Group co-chair)
- Sailor 1st class (Retired) Scott White
Regrets
- Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (Retired) Debbie Eisan, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
- Captain (Retired) Rod Holowaty
- Marie-Andrée Malette, Canadian Caregivers Brigade
- Sergeant (Retired) Catherine Bergeron
- Commodore Dan Bouchard, Canadian Armed Forces
- Major (Retired) Mark Campbell
- Tim Goddard
- Sergeant (Retired) Kim Hendricken, RCMP Veterans Association
- Master Corporal (Retired) Keith McAllister, Veterans UN-NATO Canada
- Brigadier General (Retired) Joe Sharpe
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
- Jonathan Wiseman, Policy and Operations Advisor (Ontario)
Veterans Affairs Canada officials
- Nathan Svenson, A/Senior Director, Disability and Health Care Policy (VAC co-chair)
- Mark Roy, A/Senior Director, Health Care Programs
- Amy MacDougald, Senior Advisor, Community Engagement
- Kirstin Sweet, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Charlene Pascal, Project Officer, Communications Officer
Observer
- Bronwyn Rodd, Office of the Veterans Ombud
Welcome
The Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) co-chair welcomed the Advisory Group members and opened the floor to anyone who wished to share any personal updates that may have occurred over the holidays.
A member shared news of the passing of a former Policy Advisory Group (PAG) member, Brian Forbes, and spoke to the impact of his life-long advocacy work on behalf of Veterans. The PAG co-chair echoed these sentiments and shared his own tribute. The group held a moment of silence in his honour.
Land acknowledgement
The PAG co-chair provided a land acknowledgement, recognizing Indigenous people, the heritage of their land and the importance of this connection. Members were invited to take a moment to reflect on the Indigenous peoples of the land on which they reside.
Opening remarks
The VAC co-chair introduced the VAC staff on the call and encouraged members to speak in the language of their choice. He shared with the group that the new Minister, visited the VAC offices soon after his appointment and was briefed on important files immediately. The Department is operating as usual and the work of the Advisory Groups continues. The top priority of serving Veterans remains.
The PAG co-chair reminded all members of the group’s Code of Conduct and encouraged members to consider the mental health of all when sharing their input.
The Care and Support Advisory Group (CASAG) co-chair thanked returning members and reflected on the level of experience and vast knowledge each voice brings to the advisory group. The rich and diverse input of each member is valued.
Debrief on 1 November 2024 meeting
The VAC co-chair provided a recap of the 1 November 2024 meeting with all advisory group members. An overview of the new structure of the advisory groups and their priority area of focus from the Minister were shared. The group reviewed the day’s agenda and made note of the revised date for the next meeting, 18 March 2025.
Treatment Benefits presentation
VAC’s Acting Senior Director, Health Care Programs, Service Delivery and Program Management gave a presentation about the Treatment Benefits Program, including Health Related Travel and the Mental Health Benefits program.
Members were engaged, sharing questions, comments and lived experiences related to the Treatment Benefits program. All points of discussion were linked to the areas of focus outlined in the mandate letter from the Minister, with topics including:
- Assessing evidence for new therapeutic treatments;
- Rate of coverage and rates of providers;
- The application process;
- Need to increase communication out to Veterans;
- Mitigation measures to address fraudulent providers; and
- Best practices of other countries.
Review priority area of focus and distributed materials
The VAC co-chair introduced an overview of the priority area of focus identified in the Minister’s letter to the group. Co-chair outlined the resources that the Department is able to provide to support the advisory group’s work in developing their recommendations, including access to VAC’s subject matter experts and connection to stakeholder representatives, community partners and international contacts.
Work plan for the May 2026 report to the Minister
The PAG co-chair presented a proposed comprehensive work plan for the group to follow over the duration of the term. The plan will be circulated after the meeting and members will have one month to fully review the plan and provide their written feedback to the co-chairs.
Over the course of the term, members are requested to conduct a general review of the current Treatment Benefits, through the lens of their community, and select priority areas requiring the group’s attention, noting any gaps or barriers.
Closing remarks and next steps
The co-chairs thanked the members for the thoughtful discussion and their feedback Members were encouraged to send in their biography, if they have not yet done so. The Office of the Veterans Ombud offered to share statistics about treatment benefit complaints at the next meeting.