Veterans Affairs

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs met to study suicide prevention among veterans and their families. The witnesses were Amanda Anderson, a veteran widow and advocate for survivors, and Michel Marceau, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who served in Afghanistan.

Amanda Anderson testified that after a veteran dies by suicide, their family members are left with inadequate mental health support from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). She explained that current policy requires the veteran to advocate for family care, which is impossible after death, and survivors are instead offered only short-term assistance before being directed to provincial systems that do not fund grief therapy. Anderson recommended that legislation be changed to allow family members to receive mental health care in their own right, independent of the veteran, and called for survivor-specific case managers and dedicated services, noting that VAC’s 2021 audit scored just above a fail on processing survivor benefits.

Michel Marceau described his struggles with PTSD, multiple adverse reactions to antidepressants, two suicide attempts, and the loss of his son to homelessness. He criticized the bureaucracy at VAC and the lack of a family doctor despite 14 diagnosed health issues from his service, which forced him to pay for private care. Marceau said he recovered by rejecting medication and embracing yoga, martial arts, and a lifestyle that accepts his need for stress and danger, and he urged the committee to recognize that veterans are often stigmatized and isolated after service. He disagreed with the medical system’s reliance on pills and called for more tailored care for warriors.

During questions, Anderson confirmed that VAC knows legislation needs to change but has not acted, and she noted that the U.S. has dedicated programs for survivors that Canada lacks. Marceau stated that antidepressants almost killed him and that doctors do not know how to treat veterans, and he recommended that Parliament allow widows like Anderson to wear their deceased spouse’s medals.

The committee debated and voted on two motions. The first, moved by Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, proposed a study of service delivery by Lifemark Health Group and other contracted providers, with an amendment by Blake Richards to add the Minister of Veterans Affairs to the witness list; the motion carried as amended, with a subamendment by Sean Casey to remove the requirement to report findings to the House being withdrawn. The second motion, moved by Blake Richards, called on the government to apologize for errors on the “Presence in Absence” memorial; it was amended by Sean Casey to acknowledge mistakes and apologize without assuming responsibility, and to remove the requirement to report to the House, and the motion carried as amended.