Grave marker maintenance - FAQs

Background

We honour the service of Canada’s Veterans and preserve their legacy. One way we do this is by maintaining over 250,000 Veteran grave markers across Canada.

Q1. Is Veterans Affairs Canada responsible for all Veteran grave markers?

A1. VAC is not responsible for all Veteran grave markers. We are responsible for the military markers that we provided and installed for Veterans who qualified for funeral and burial financial assistance at the time of their passing.

We are not responsible for maintaining private grave markers.

Q2. What is the difference between a war dead marker that is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and a Veteran marker that is maintained by VAC?

A2. On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for the graves of 110,355 Canadians who died during the following periods:

• the First World War – 4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921, and
• the Second World War – 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947.

VAC is responsible for maintaining the grave markers of more than 250,000 Veterans who qualified for the funeral and burial assistance at the time of their passing.

Q3. I would like to bury a family member that is a Veteran at a Veterans Cemetery (God’s Acre) in Esquimalt, British Columbia or Fort Massey in Halifax, Nova Scotia. How do I get more information?

A3. Fort Massey Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia has reached capacity and is no longer accepting new interments.

For information on burials at Veterans Cemetery (God’s Acre) in Esquimalt, British Columbia, please contact us at: cm-mc@veterans.gc.ca.

Q4. Who is eligible for grave marker maintenance?

A4. We maintain grave markers that we provided and installed for Veterans who qualified for funeral and burial assistance at the time of their passing.

Funeral and burial assistance is provided through the Last Post Fund—a non-profit organization—to help pay for funeral and burial services, including a military gravestone, for Veterans who qualify.

To qualify, the Veteran must meet service as well as health or financial criteria.

Please visit the Funeral and Burial Assistance Program webpage for more information.

Q5. How can I request a repair or maintenance service for a gravesite?

A5. Please contact us at cm-mc@veterans.gc.ca if you know about a Veteran's grave marker that was installed by the Government of Canada that requires maintenance.

Q6. How will family members know when a relative's grave marker has been repaired?

A6. VAC is unable to contact each person directly. Veteran markers that fall under our responsibility are cared for through a scheduled inspection and repair cycle. Urgent repairs, such as repairs to fallen or broken markers, will be completed as soon as possible.

Q7. What is the “Unmarked Grave Program”?

A7. The Unmarked Grave Program is offered by the Last Post Fund, a non-profit organization. This program provides a permanent, military-style marker for Veterans who qualify, whose graves have not had a permanent headstone or foot marker for five years or more, and who have not previously received funeral and burial assistance from the Last Post Fund or VAC.

The Last Post Fund also introduced the Indigenous Veterans Initiative, which focuses on the unmarked graves of Veterans from Indigenous communities. Through this initiative, new and existing markers can be inscribed with the Veteran's traditional name.

For more information or to initiate an application for the Unmarked Grave Program, please contact the Last Post Fund at 1-800-465-7113 or by email at info@lastpost.ca. More information can also be found on the Last Post Fund website.

Q8. I have a question about a marker maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Who should I contact?

A8. For more information about the CWGC, including how to contact them, please visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.