April 2026

News

Update on National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan

The project to build the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan continues to progress, with construction on the monument beginning later this spring. Veterans Affairs Canada will host a groundbreaking ceremony at the monument site on 4 May 2026. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the Canada Remembers Facebook page.

The National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan will recognize the commitment and sacrifice of the more than 40,000 uniformed personnel and thousands of civilians who served in Afghanistan, and the support provided to them by Canadians at home during Canada’s mission in Afghanistan (2001-2014).

We will continue to provide updates on this project. For the most up to date information, please visit our website.

Supporting Veterans and their families through Canada’s increased NATO spending

On April 1, Minister McKnight visited Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in British Columbia and outlined Veterans Affairs Canada’s role in Canada achieving the NATO two percent Defence-spending target.

Veterans Affairs Canada is the second largest contributor to Canada’s NATO spending. Over 90 percent of our budget is dedicated to benefits or services provided to Veterans, their families and Veteran-serving organizations.

The funding from Budget 2025 will help VAC to stabilize processing capacity for Disability Benefits applications and modernize processes and IT infrastructure. In addition to assisting Veterans, this funding supports Canada’s NATO contributions: $184.9 million over four years starting in fiscal year 2026–27 and $40.1 million annually thereafter.

To learn more about this work, read the Disability Benefits: Modernization and service standards section of the Veterans Affairs Departmental Plan 2026-2027.

Programs and services

New Income Replacement Benefit dashboard in My VAC Account

Income Replacement Benefit (IRB) recipients now have an improved IRB dashboard in My VAC Account. These changes came into effect earlier this month.

IRB is a monthly, taxable payment that helps support Veterans while they take part in our Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program or if they are found to have a diminished earnings capacity. It is meant to ease financial stress so they can focus on their recovery and move toward returning to the workforce. Here’s what’s new:

• A clear breakdown of your monthly IRB payment
• Details on reported income deductions, taxes, and more
• Easier access to review and update your information

If something doesn’t look right or if income deductions are missing, you can access the Income Verification Form (VAC2524) through the dashboard. This guided form lets you:

• Check and confirm your income details
• Update or remove existing deductions
• Report new income
• Update your marital status

These changes are part of our commitment to make your benefit information easier to understand and more transparent.

To find the Income Replacement Benefit dashboard:

1. Sign in to your My VAC Account
2. Click on “Current Benefits”
3. Scroll to “Financial Benefits"

Keeping your information up to date helps us serve you better. As the most accurate source of your income details, Veterans play an essential role in avoiding payment errors such as overpayment or underpayments.

Sign up for My VAC Account today.

Celebrating the Month of the Military Child

April is the Month of the Military Child—a time to recognize military and Veteran children and the unique moments that shape them. While we often hear of the challenges that come with growing up in a military family, we’ve also heard that it can help build remarkable strength. Many develop adaptability, compassion and a strong sense of belonging, along with a deep appreciation for service and community.

Their journeys can inspire empathy, resilience and a commitment to supporting others. As they grow into adult children of Veterans, these values often remain a meaningful part of who they are, shaping how they connect with and care for those around them. This month, the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families honours both their experiences and their strengths by sharing their stories and creating space for their voices to be heard. Explore these stories on their Month of the Military Child page.

The Veteran Family Program

Medically releasing from the military is a big change for you and your family. A Veteran Family Program coordinator can help you identify your family’s needs and help you plan a successful transition.

The Veteran Family Program offers medically releasing CAF members and their families continued access to the Military Family Resource Centres and to a suite of transition-support programs and services, which include:

• the Family Information Line
• a suite of transition programs, courses and group sessions including a mental health first aid course, couples overcoming PTSD everyday (COPE), Operational Stress Injury Resource for Caregivers, and Shifting Gears
• resources and tools such as personalized access to a Veteran Family Program coordinator and the Veteran Family Journal

Click here to find out if you and your family qualify for the Veteran Family Program.

User testers needed for VAC systems and services

Are you interested in improving our online systems and services like My VAC Account? We need user-experience testers, and we want to hear your voice.

Your lived experience gives you a unique perspective that will help us design digital services that truly meet the needs of Veterans and their families.

By becoming a VAC user-tester, you can help us improve letters, forms, My VAC Account and more. Participation is flexible, and you don’t need to be a tech expert to share your user experience.

Make an impact. Sign up to become a user-experience tester today.

Now live: An enhanced LifeSpeak wellness experience

LifeSpeak has a new and improved platform that brings together mental health, physical health, nutrition, and overall wellness resources in one modern, easy‑to‑use experience.

What’s new?

As of 1 April 2026, the enhanced LifeSpeak experience brings you expanded content on nutrition and fitness, new goal-based programs, personalized recommendations, and more.

Get started

Create an account to access the new platform in just three easy steps.

1. Visit the LifeSpeak website.
2. Select “Veterans Affairs Canada – Veteran or former CAF/RCMP member” from the drop-down menu.
3. Create a confidential personal account with an email and password of your choosing.

You can also download the mobile app via Apple or Android for on-the-go use.

Share access

Once you’ve created an account, you can invite up to five family members and friends to access LifeSpeak too.

Questions

If you experience any issues logging in or accessing LifeSpeak, you can contact the technical support team for help.

Services are provided by LifeSpeak Inc. in collaboration with Health Canada’s Employee Assistance Services and the VAC Assistance Service.

Free help with VAC forms

We are here to help you. Call us toll-free at 1-866-522-2122 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time).

Send us a My VAC Account secure message. Need a My VAC Account? Register today.

Request an in-person appointment using our online booking form or by calling 1-866-522-2122.

Please note that our service locations offer in-person services by appointment only. Our staff at any Transition Centre can also assist you.

If you’re applying for any Disability Benefits or need to appeal a previous decision, security cleared Dominion and Provincial Command Service Officers with the Royal Canadian Legion can also assist you with your application, including helping you get all of the information you need to support your application. The assistance is free of charge.

Engagement

Her Story, Her Strength: 2026 Women Veterans Forum

By listening and learning from the experiences of women who have served, we can help shape a stronger future for all women in uniform and beyond. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting women Veterans and still serving members and ensuring that their voices are heard.

If you’re a woman who has served – or are currently serving – in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) or the Royal Mounted Police (RCMP), you are invited to register for the 2026 Women Veterans Forum.

The 2026 Women Veterans Forum is an important opportunity for women who have served and are currently serving to come together, share their experiences, learn from one another, and build connections in a supportive space that reflects their voices and perspectives. The 2026 Forum will take place in Ottawa on June 9-10 and is hosted by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Women Veterans Council.

The 2026 Women Veterans Forum will be offered in both in-person and virtual formats. If you are interested in receiving an invitation to attend in-person, please select that option on the registration form.

Please note that in-person capacity is limited. Once in‑person capacity is reached, you will be offered the opportunity to participate virtually. Please register by May 10, 2026. Additional forum details and the agenda will follow shortly.

Read key takeaways and discussions from past Forums, including the 2025 Forum which took place in March 2025. For questions about the 2026 Women Veterans Forum, reach out to the Women Veterans Engagement Team.

Introducing new Canadians to the importance of Veterans

At citizenship ceremonies across Canada, Citizenship Judge James Clover shares a message about service, community and the responsibilities of citizenship—often drawing on the stories of Veterans and those who serve. Judge Clover submitted this piece to Salute!

When I was appointed to the role of federal citizenship judge, I took great care in considering what I wanted to impress to our new Canadian citizens.

The citizenship ceremony is a significant milestone in the lives of new citizens. I wish to seize each moment I have with them before they start their new journey. It is my responsibility to impart the value of participating in our democracy, adherence to our laws, and promotion of good citizenship within the community.

At my ceremonies, I choose to acknowledge the people and Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, and all emergency workers, domestic and abroad, for their role in keeping us safe and healthy. I speak about the privilege that I have experienced as a Canadian, being born and raised in a country that values democracy and multiculturalism. I discuss raising a family in a place that experiences peace and security each day. I acknowledge that this country has allowed me to pursue what I believe is my purpose in life. And I thank those people that lace their boots up every day and every night, who make it possible that we all continue to experience the privilege to live in such a place like Canada.

On occasion, I have serving military, Veterans, or emergency services personnel in attendance, and I am able to acknowledge them directly and before all the citizenship candidates. I have witnessed the camaraderie of Canadian Veterans supporting veterans from other countries who are becoming a citizen. I have presented citizenship certificates to people currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and see the pride in their face and the faces of their family. I have experienced police officers and health care professionals attend virtual citizenship ceremonies and receive their citizenship while in uniform as they work at some remote detachment or hospital.

I introduce to our new citizens the contributions of service people and Veterans, and to share stories of those that serve or have served. Those people who choose to serve, reflect the values we hold to maintain peace. I access resources, such as Veterans Affairs Canada e-newsletter Salute!, to discover their stories. When possible, I connect with the member or Veteran I have acknowledged, to speak directly to their contribution to Canada as a good citizen.

I have spoken of the late Burdett “Burd” Thomas Sisler, once the oldest living man in Canada, and his career with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canada Border Services Agency. I have introduced Edith Anderson Monture, an indigenous woman from the Six Nations Grand River Reserve in Ontario, who pursued a calling to be a nurse despite racism and systemic barriers in Canada, by joining the U.S. Medical Corps in 1917 and who served in France. After her return to Canada, Anderson brought medical training to her community and became a leader and advocate for women’s health and indigenous rights.

During Remembrance Week, I took great care to describe the contributions of Corporal Randy Joseph Payne. Corporal Payne’s mother Nancy, a silver cross mother, lost her son in Afghanistan on April 22, 2006. Through reflections and the emotions I hold for the Payne family, I want to reveal the truth that service to this country is not singular but interconnected amongst each other and the entire country.

Through the work of Veterans Affairs Canada, I learned about retired Sergeant Joan Buchanan and her immigration journey from Jamaica to Toronto. Joining the Canadian Armed Forces in her early thirties, she faced considerable pressures and barriers as both a woman and a woman of colour. Her experiences and perseverance led her to become a champion of inclusiveness and equality. I recognize and highlight that her perseverance appears rooted in her genuine desire to serve Canada, in the pride she holds for that service and the people and mission of the Canadian Armed Forces.

With renewed public attention to security in the north, I sought an opportunity to highlight the Canadian Rangers. An article in Salute, published in the December 2025 issue, provided a platform to discuss Master Corporal Ella Archie. Master Corporal Archie’s service to the Canadian Rangers is truly authentic; she has found a way to incorporate culture, tradition, community and the land as part of the journey of those that choose to serve in the Canadian Rangers. She continues to mentor and be a role model for those young people that will be the future guardians of our north.

When I preside at a citizenship ceremony, I am meeting these people at a special touchpoint in their lives. The journey to become a Canadian citizen is ending, but the journey as a new citizen is just beginning. I encourage them to think about how they wish to live their lives as new citizens, and to consider what service to country looks like to them. By sharing the stories of those that serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans, and all emergency service workers, it is my intention to instill awareness, compassion and pride for the people who have served or who are serving this country.

Commemoration

Volunteers recognized for service to Veterans and their families

Earlier this month in Montréal, 13 individuals received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation in recognition of their dedication and lasting contributions to the Veteran community and remembrance.

• Caterina Arena-Saia
• Jacques Beauregard (posthumous)
• Michel Bonenfant
• Francis Champagne
• Sean Esdon
• Jean-Pierre Gaudreau
• Sylvain Jetté
• Gilles Landry
• Pierre Pellerin
• Joël Renaud
• Pierce Schaefer
• Nelith Sigirige
• Elisabeth St-Georges

Youth recipients, Caterina Arena-Saia, Sean Esdon, Pierce Schaefer and Nelith Sigirige, were recognized for founding The Corporal François (Franck) Dupéré Legacy Memorial in 2023. The project engages students in remembrance and learning—designed to travel across Canada over the next 100 years, honouring Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in service. It received funding from our Commemorative Partnership Program.

Congratulations to all these deserving recipients. Your work makes a difference in the lives of Canadian Veterans. To discover more on what each of them did, click on their names above.

Honouring Ontario Veterans for Community Service

In November 2025, 107 Veterans across Ontario were recognized by The Royal Canadian Legion local branches for their dedication to supporting their communities.

Each recipient received the Ontario Veterans Award for Community Service Excellence, which includes a stylized trillium lapel pin and a certificate.

The award was created and launched by the Government of Ontario to recognize Veterans who make steady and meaningful contributions where they live. Community service can include supporting other Veterans, assisting people with mental or physical health challenges, or taking part in projects that strengthen local organizations and neighbourhoods.

Since November, award presentations have continued in communities across the province. At Branch 134 in Mount Forest, Ontario, Veteran Ken Thompson was honoured on 8 November 2025 for his extensive volunteer service.

In addition to coordinating Legion events and initiatives, including serving as chair of the Branch Poppy Fund, Thompson works with seniors’ programs, within the Legion and in the community. Thompson also meets with other Veterans within the Legion and in the community to help them manage costs such as rent, heating, food, clothing and other living expenses.

To learn more about the award, visit the Ontario Veterans Award for Community Service Excellence webpage.

Commemoration calendar

May

For a more complete listing of activities please visit our calendar of events.

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