12/04/2025
Well done Conservative Party. Great announcement for Vets and their Spouses!
We are proud to share with you the Canada First Conservative Plan for our Veterans. This plan really is YOUR plan as it was based on listening to veterans, their families and those who support them.
We heard from Veterans at events and memorials across Canada, through the standing committee on Veterans Affairs and from weekly coffee chats and town halls. Through these conversations we learned what concerns our veterans had most - and this plan addresses those concerns.
A Canada First Conservative Government will give Canada's Veterans the respect they deserve after a decade of Liberal abuse.
Our heroes deserve better - and Conservatives will deliver.
CANADA FIRST PLAN FOR OUR VETERANS
1. Ease the Transition from Military to Civilian Life:
● Ensure that every Veteran's benefits are already in place before they are officially released from the Canadian Armed Forces.
● Ensure Veterans receive preferential hiring status in the Canadian Public Service.
● Double the target for the number of Veterans working at VAC.
● Protect educational benefits for our military heroes who wish to transfer from the Regular Force to the Reserves.
● Create a fast-track process for Veterans who are re-applying for security clearances and ensure that Veterans can retain their security clearance for 12 months after their release.
● Incorporate spouses of Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces Members into the Veteran Hiring Act.
● Require that Veteran-owned and operated businesses be given preference in the awarding of federal government contracts.
● Harmonize training certification in the Canadian Armed Forces with civilian qualifications, allowing Veterans to easily transfer their skills to civilian workplaces.
● Remove the title to Survivor Benefits for the spouses of Veterans who marry after the age of 60.
● Remove clawbacks of military benefits for Veterans who get jobs. Their new income should be on top of their pension and benefits, not in place of them.
2. Help Veterans Manage Disabilities and Injuries:
● Automatically approve all disability benefit applications that are not processed within the 16-week service standard.
● Ensure that Veterans have greater access and control over their medical records.
● Ensure that certain Veteran disability claims are automatically approved.
● Enable military doctors to assess service-related injuries, using one standardized system.
● Make available the Education and Training Benefit to Veterans immediately upon receiving their release date.
● Help Veterans requiring PTSD service dogs by creating a national standard for PTSD dogs, and ensuring Veterans have access.
3. Honor our Veterans:
● Allow Veteran Service Cards to be recognized as a valid form of government-issued ID across Canada.
● Completed on an urgent basis, the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan.
● Properly recognize the service of Persian Gulf Veterans by officially extending the wartime service designation to all Canadian Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War.
4. Helmets to Hardhats:
● Harmonize training certification in the Canadian Armed Forces with civilian qualifications, allowing Veterans to easily transfer their skills to civilian workplaces.
● Upon release, Veterans will be provided with the documentation they need to have their skills recognized by civilian employers.
● By creating a red-seal system, Veterans would bypass regulatory gatekeepers and be able to put their skills to work in the civilian world. Such a policy would also help with recruitment and retention in the CAF.
● Ensure Veterans get post-secondary course credit for skills and knowledge they gained while serving in the Forces. For example, a young Veteran going back to business school should get credit for courses on leadership if they have already held leadership positions.
Canada First Plan for Our Veterans
We are proud to present the Conservative Canada First plan for our veterans. This plan is truly YOUR plan, because it is the result of listening to veterans, their families, and those who support them.
We listened to veterans at events and memorials across Canada, through the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and in weekly discussions and town hall meetings. These conversations allowed us to learn what concerns our veterans most—and this plan addresses those concerns.
