April 2025

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Programs and services

Veteran and Family Well-being Fund: Tailored support for Veterans and their families

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Andrei Roberge

The Veteran and Family Well-being Fund provides more than grants and contributions. Every dollar awarded represents a good idea about how to help a Veteran or their family.

From the 2024-2025 call for applications, a total of 27 good ideas will be brought to life over the next four years.

The organizations behind these ideas work to improve the lives of Veterans and their families in areas like homelessness, retraining, employment, mental health and research. They also support women, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans and their families.

We have supported 150 Veteran and Family Well-being Fund projects nationwide since 2018. Many of these are run by Veterans or family members who truly understand what their peers are going through. Andrei Roberge’s work is a good example of this in action.

Like many Veterans, Andrei’s career in the Canadian Armed Forces took him around the world. After transition, he found purpose working for past Veteran and Family Well-being Fund recipient, Team Rubicon, an organization that trains Veterans to provide emergency relief around the world. Learn more about Andrei’s journey.

Free guidance for filling out forms

Filling out forms is an important step when you apply for services and benefits. It may seem overwhelming, but VAC, the Royal Canadian Legion and Service Canada are here to support you, answer your questions and give guidance.

This service is free and confidential so that you can avoid paying a lawyer or outside service. You can connect with us by:

Visit our website to find out which programs and services you may qualify for.

The Athena Project: Designing research in collaboration with women Veterans

Group of adults sitting in circle

The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families set up the Athena Project Working Group in 2023 to support the design and development of studies related to women Veterans’ health and well-being. Made up of women Veterans of the CAF and RCMP, each member brings her unique voice, knowledge, skills and expertise to this project.

Atlas doesn’t just consult women Veterans to develop research projects—it works with them to design research by contributing directly to a number of items and giving feedback on others. To date, the working group co-developed two research studies on the health and well-being of women Veterans:

Learn more about the Athena Project and ongoing women Veterans’ studies.

LifeSpeak web series: supporting your partner’s mental health

Holding hands

From May 5-11, LifeSpeak is recognizing Mental Health Week by launching a web series about how to support a partner with a mental health diagnosis. LifeSpeak is a free, web-based platform that gives you anonymous access to hundreds of expert videos and other resources designed to enhance your well-being.

The upcoming web series offers things you can do to support a loved one through anxiety, depression, substance use and other mental-health challenges. You’ll discover ways to:

  • encourage professional help,
  • set healthy boundaries, and
  • take care of your own mental well-being while supporting others.

Supporting someone through mental health challenges can be hard, but with the right tools, you can navigate these challenges with confidence and compassion.

LifeSpeak is part of the VAC Assistance Service. You do not need to register for an account. Log in to LifeSpeak from any computer or mobile device using Access ID: canada (lowercase). You can browse topics or search for “partner support” to find the videos mentioned in this article. Visit our website for more information about LifeSpeak.

April is the Month of the Military Child

A woman sitting at a table full of books.

Daphne McFee at her book launch

In this, the Month of the Military Child, we want to highlight the work of retired RCMP Sgt. Daphne McFee, whose book “It’s Not ’Cuz of Me” was written to help her children—and other children in similar situations—as their dad coped with PTSD.

The month of the Military Child is a time to recognize the unique challenges of children who have military parents. 

“When PTSD enters a home, everyone is impacted by it,” McFee explains. “It’s really important that everyone understands that it’s not anyone’s fault, especially children.”

Read their family’s story.

 

Spotlight on women Veterans

Telah Morrison: Service in and out of uniform

A person in a uniform

Telah Morrison

Telah Morrison joined the CAF in 1986 and went on to serve 35 years in both the regular and reserve forces, including four overseas missions in Croatia, Haiti, Afghanistan and Lebanon. As the spouse of a retired service member and the mother of four children—three currently serving in the CAF—she is deeply connected to military life.

During her military career, she played a major role in creating projects to assist ill and injured CAF members, Veterans and families, including the Comprehensive Military Family Plan. She was also a pioneer for women in the military as the first woman to serve in a light infantry battalion and teach at the infantry school. She advocated for women’s issues and family support throughout her career, promoting changes that improved inclusion in the CAF.

Since retiring in 2022, she continues to advocate for Veterans as a member of VAC’s Advisory Group on Families, the Board of Directors for the Atlas Institute, and VAC’s inaugural Women Veterans Council, where she is dedicated to improving access to VAC benefits for women Veterans through evidence-based research and analysis.

To learn more about this work, visit the Women Veterans Council page.

 

Commemoration

25 years of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A stone monument with a hat and sword

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa

This May will be the 25th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Veterans Affairs Canada is holding ceremonies and events in Ottawa and France to pay tribute to the Unknown Soldier and all those they represent.

In May 2000, the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who died in the First World War were returned from France and entombed at the base of the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Royal Canadian Legion, with support from other Veterans’ organizations and the Government of Canada, led the project.

The soldier remains unknown and represents the more than 120,000 Canadians who sacrificed and gave their lives in the name of freedom and peace. Later this spring, take the time to remember and honour all those who served and died for Canada in uniform. Learn more about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Lest we forget.

 

A journey of remembrance

Two men in military uniforms

Veterans waving.

 

Two official Government of Canada delegations are travelling both overseas and within Canada to take part in ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands. From the fall of 1944 to the spring of 1945, Canadian soldiers helped liberate occupied towns there, playing a key role in the country's liberation and the surrender of the last German forces.

From 1-7 May 2025, the overseas delegation will attend a number of events and visit sites in the Netherlands. Here at home, the delegation will attend several commemorative events from May 5-8.The delegations will include Canadian Veterans of the Liberation of the Netherlands and the Second World War, representatives of Veterans organizations and a Canadian Armed Forces contingent.

These Veterans are the living memory of the Second World War, which is quickly fading. They have powerful stories which allow them to pass on the torch of remembrance to future generations. We encourage you to learn more about Canada’s role in the Netherlands. Follow our delegations on our social media or check out our events page.

Explore Canadian service in the Americas

A person in a military uniform

Marjorie Stetson

During the Second World War, Canadian women played a vital yet often overlooked role in codebreaking. They made up roughly 40 percent of Canada's cryptographic bureau’s total workforce and contributed greatly to the Allied war effort.

This month, we salute Marjorie Stetson—one of our country’s secret “code girls”—for helping keep Canadians safe during the War. After mastering Morse Code, she was posted to #3 Special Wireless Station in Victoria, British Columbia, where she intercepted and transcribed coded Japanese communications coming from the Pacific. Read more about her inspiring service here.

Marjorie is one of the Veterans we are featuring this year to mark Canadian Armed Forces service in the Americas. At Veterans Affairs Canada, we focus on helping Canadians recognize and remember the service of all Veterans, no matter where or when they served. Learn more on our website.

 

Commemoration calendar

May 2025

May 4: The cruiser HMCS Uganda bombarded Japanese airfields as part of the Okinawa campaign (1945)

May 5: Liberation Day, Netherlands. Units of the First Canadian Army accept the surrender of German forces at Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (1945)

May 8: Victory in Europe Day (1945)

May 11: German submarine U-190 surrendered to HMCS Victoriaville and HMCS Thorlock and was later escorted into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland (1945)

May 13: German submarine U-899 surrendered to HMCS Buckingham and HMCS Arran near Shelburne, Nova Scotia (1945)

May 18: Main Canadian attack began during the Battle of Festubert (1915)

May 28: Dedication of Canada’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (2000)

Do you know other Veterans, family members or others who would benefit from the information in this newsletter? Feel free to share it with them.

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