24 February 2026
13:00 – 15:00 ET
Virtual – Microsoft Teams
Health and Well-being Advisory Group members
- Sergeant (Retired) Michael Blais, Canadian Veterans Advocacy (co-chair)
- Dave Gallson, Mood Disorders Society of Canada
- Sergeant (Retired) Alannah Gilmore
- Warrant Officer (Retired) Craig Hood, Royal Canadian Legion
- Corporal (Retired) Dennis MacKenzie, Brave and Broken
- Dr. Stewart Madon, Canadian Psychological Association
- Warrant Officer (Retired) Brian McKenna
- Dr. Gail Wideman, Canadian Military and Veterans Families Leadership Circle
Regrets
- Sergeant (Retired) Chuck Isaacs, Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta
- Corporal (retired) Victoria Jonas
- Captain (Retired) Tarik Kadri (co-chair)
- Dr. Don Richardson, Canadian Psychiatric Association
- Captain (Retired) Robert Thibeau, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
- Dr. Brent Wolfrom, Queens University
Veterans Affairs Canada officials
- Tabitha Stubbs, A/Director General, (VAC co-chair)
- Amy MacDougald, Senior Analyst, Community Engagement
- Kirstin Sweet, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Noah Ellis, Project Operations Assistant, Community Engagement
Department of National Defence official
- Captain Wade Brockway, Canadian Armed Forces
Welcome and land acknowledgement
The VAC co-chair welcomed members and delivered land acknowledgements.
Discussion on proposed recommendations
Members discussed a range of issues affecting Veterans, including housing and homelessness, rehabilitation services, long-term care, survivor benefits, access to medical treatments, home accessibility supports and services for Veterans with complex needs. Members emphasized the importance of holistic, Veteran-centred approaches and discussed opportunities to improve access, equity, responsiveness, and continuity of care across programs and services.
Updates for the group
The VAC co-chair provided an update that the family telemedicine pilot program that has been extended to 2029, with new intake ending in 2027. Under this pilot, newly released members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will receive free access to the Maple online medical care provider for two years. It was noted that many Canadian provinces provide Maple access to residents as part of their provincial healthcare delivery.
Closing remarks
The VAC co-chair summarized the key points and themes that will form the basis of the main recommendations. She encouraged members to share any future ideas for meeting topics with her or the member co-chairs.
The member co-chair shared that he will begin writing the final versions of the proposed recommendations. He thanked everyone for their time and effort. The VAC co-chair concluded the meeting.
Meeting adjourned.