Terms of reference – Women Veterans Council

1. Objective

The Women Veterans Council offers the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence insight on specific initiatives and priority areas from their unique points of view and lived experiences on all matters of importance to women (still-serving and Veterans).

The objective of the Council is to offer lived experience and expertise in achieving equity for women in the areas of health, research, access, practice and policy to support the betterment of all women (still-serving and Veterans).

2. Mandate

The Council will work to identify systemic barriers, sources of discrimination and provide advice and recommendations to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence on a wide variety of issues, including but not limited to: transition supports for CAF and RCMP women (in-service and Veterans), equitable access to all benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada for women, provide recommendations on the identification of research priorities to ensure VAC funded research for the women community, the rights of women (in-service and Veterans) with respect to health equity, data equity, economic equity, outreach and recognition.

3. Responsibilities

The Council’s responsibilities include:

• Promoting and monitoring the efforts of the Government of Canada in addressing equity for women in benefit access, data equity, economical equity and health equity;Providing a forum for information exchange, empowerment and action on issues related to women, both in service and post-service;
• Providing a forum for information exchange, empowerment and action on issues related to women, both in service and post-service;
• Actively reviewing all pre-meeting materials shared in advance of Council meetings;
• Actively participating, collaborating and providing feedback, analysis and solutions throughout meetings;
• Developing advice supported by the perspectives gathered from those with lived experience, stakeholder consultation and engagement activities (see Section 10);
• Achieving consensus where possible in presenting formal advice or recommendations to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence; however, if there is any abstained or dissenting opinion, it will be recorded;
• Presenting formal recommendations including a written report annually to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence reflective of GBA Plus and SGBA Plus analysis to ensure an intersectional approach and that any gaps and challenges are considered within the recommendations put forward.

4. Official to whom the Council reports

The Council reports to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. The Community Engagement Division within Veterans Affairs will act as Council secretariat.

5. Composition

The membership of the Council will include representatives, all of whom must be women of the Canadian Armed Forces or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (in-service and Veterans).

Age, years of service, service occupation, deployment experience, VAC client status, which branch of the Canadian Armed Forces they served or supported (Army, Navy, Airforce, Special Ops), geographical location and first official language will be factors considered in appointing members to the Council. A balanced membership should include the following:

• Officer and non-commissioned members (CAF and RCMP Veterans);
• Regular Force and Reservists (still-serving and Veterans);
• Women with a service-related disability;
• Still-serving CAF and RCMP women;
• Women with multicultural heritage (eg. Indigenous);
• Gender-diverse; and
• Family status (eg. single, married, with and/or without children).

6. Membership term

The term of appointments will be one year with the option to extend up to a maximum of three years. If members feel they are unable to continue in their role as Council member, they may elect to leave the Council at any point and remain eligible to return as a member in the future (which will commence a new term option). Two alternatives will be designated to replace Council members who step down from their role on the Council.

7. Chair role and responsibility

Co-chairs (two) will be self-nominated and selected by closed voting by the members of the Council and will serve for a minimum of one year with the option to extend up to a maximum of three years.

The Co-chairs will be supported by a Departmental representative who will attend and help facilitate Council meetings. The Co-chairs will be responsible for chairing all meetings, calling items for vote, approving records of discussion, obtaining Council approval on records of discussion, identifying agenda items, supporting documentation and approving guest speakers to Council meetings.

Co-chairs will have the opportunity to meet with the Minister throughout the year and the Minister will attend Council meetings as their schedule permits.

8. Code of conduct

Members will need to agree to and sign a copy of the Core Values assigned to Council membership (Annex A). Code of conduct principles Council members will adhere to are as follows:

• Identify any accessibility needs to allow the Department time to put accommodations in place to support participation (in accordance with the Accessibility Act);
• Participate in training to support Council members in completing their duties (for example: chair training, GBA+, SGBA+, trauma-informed and Mental Health first aid);
• Participate as an individual and not as a representative of a specific group or entity;
• Work together to foster openness, collaboration, communication, fairness and respect;
• Acknowledge that there exist different skills and lived experiences within the Council membership;
• Consider different perspectives, for the purpose of sensitivity and learning; and
• Council members are not to share information discussed at meetings until the official Record of Discussion is approved and made public;

9. Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest is defined by any actual, potential or perceived conflict within a Council members’ personal or professional life that may conflict with their responsibility as a Council member to act without competing interests. Such interests can include individuals whose organizations receive federal funding, those of family, friends, or other organizations a Council member for which they may be involved or connected.

Council members have a responsibility to voluntarily disclose and resolve any conflicts before it interferes or jeopardizes the integrity of the Council’s work.

Council members will also need to disclose to the Council co-chairs and the VAC representative in writing any such conflicts of interest. Should their personal situation change, it is incumbent upon the member to update all information, including their disclosure of conflicts of interest, in writing.

Once the conflict of interest has been appropriately disclosed, the Co-chairs in consultation with Council members must decide what action is required and make a recommendation on course of action. Decisions and related actions include whether:

• the conflict needs to be avoided or simply documented;
• the conflict will impair the Council member’s capacity to participate in the best interest of the Council;
• options to avoid the conflict; or
• the Council member needs to be temporarily removed.

Veterans Affairs Canada will be responsible for documenting, preserving and updating these conflict disclosure and decision records.

10. Meetings

The Council will meet four times per year (two meetings held virtually and two in-person/hybrid) and all meeting dates will be pre-established for the year ahead. If and when necessary, the Council with the Co-chairs approval may call ad hoc meetings.

Time commitment for a virtual meeting will be a maximum of three hours. If more time for virtual meetings is required, meeting will span over two days.

Members will serve as knowledgeable individuals as it relates to their own personal lived experience as service women and Veterans, therefore no substitution of members is allowed.

Council meetings will break for the summer annually (July and August).

11. Communication and engagement

As part of their work, the Council may be expected to engage with, or review the work of the following groups:

• The mandate priorities of the six Ministerial Advisory Groups;
• Veterans Affairs Canada’s role as implementation partner on Canada’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security – 2023-2029;
• The Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs studies;
• Parliamentary and Senate studies and the implementation of recommendations related to women Veterans;
• VAC’s annual Women Veterans Forum; and
• The CAF/VAC Joint Steering Committee.

The Department will facilitate the coordination and booking of these meetings as needed.

12. Documentation, record keeping and publication of information

The Department will support the Council by:

• preparing agendas in consultation with Council co-chairs;
• arranging travel and accommodations for in-person meetings;
• scheduling and facilitating all Council meetings;
• schedule any joint meetings with Ministerial Advisory Groups;
• arrange training to support Council members in completing their duties (for example: chair training, GBA Plus, SGBA Plus, trauma-informed and Mental Health first aid);
• addressing accessibility needs (in accordance with the Accessibility Act);
• documenting records of discussions;
• providing all Council materials and documentation in both official languages, however, third-party documents may be provided in the language in which they were created (eg. research studies);
• keeping and sharing relevant meeting documentation and records;
• providing co-Chairs draft records of discussion for approval prior to the next Council meeting;
• web publishing Council records of discussion;
• submitting Council reports and recommendations to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

Records of Discussion will not be for attribution to individual Council members, with the exception of presentations or information provided by guest speakers. Council members are not to share information discussed at meetings until the official Record of Discussion is approved and made public.

13. Costs

Veterans Affairs Canada will cover meeting costs, including facility rental and associated costs, the cost of translation, printing and distribution of the Council’s reports and publications.

Travel will be approved as per the Treasury Board of Canada Guidelines on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures. All travel must be pre-authorized by Veterans Affairs through the Community Engagement Division. Members will be reimbursed in accordance with the Guidelines.

Members agree and confirm that becoming a member of the Council is voluntary and unpaid.