FINA meeting 22 · 2026-02-05 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance studied the veterans-related provisions of Bill C-15, the budget implementation act, and heard from Minister of Veterans Affairs Jill McKnight, departmental officials Christine McDowell and Nathan Svenson, and Veterans Ombud Nishika Jardine and Deputy Ombud Duane Schippers.

Christine McDowell, acting deputy minister, stated that Veterans Affairs Canada remains committed to providing services in both official languages at all points of access, with bilingual staff and equal processing of claims in English and French. Nathan Svenson, senior director, clarified that the amendments in Bill C-15 regarding the definition of “province” do not change benefit entitlements for those in the territories, as the department has always calculated benefits as originally intended, and that settling a lawsuit does not establish an error.

Nishika Jardine, the Veterans Ombud, welcomed the budget’s investments to stabilize disability benefit processing but expressed deep concern about clauses 373 to 375 of Bill C-15, which she said retroactively legitimize a departmental error in calculating long-term care charges for elderly and disabled veterans, denying them compensation for overpayments made over 30 years. She recommended removing the retroactive provision, arguing it is unfair and undermines trust, and noted she had not received a written response to her December 2025 letter to the minister. She also highlighted that francophone veterans still face longer wait times for disability claims than anglophones, based on her office’s 2022 report, and pressed for extending mental health treatment benefits to veterans’ families.

Duane Schippers, deputy veterans ombud, added that while retroactivity is sometimes acceptable, going back 30 years is problematic and unfair, and that the focus should be on veterans rather than legal costs from a class action lawsuit.

The committee also heard exchanges where opposition members questioned the minister about a 7% budget reduction target, the cost and performance of a privatized rehabilitation contract, and the resignation of six members of the women veterans council, with the minister repeatedly stating that the budget makes investments, not cuts, and that the cannabis reimbursement adjustment does not affect other benefits. No procedural debate, motions, or votes were recorded in this meeting.

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Witnesses · 4

Christine McDowell

Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs

Opening remarks

Thank you so much for the question. Veterans Affairs remains committed to making sure that all of our veterans have access to services in the language of their choice at whatever point of access they enter our system, whether that's by phone, in person or, certainly, through our web publications. We monitor our claim intake and our response to make sure the applications we receive in French, as well as those we receive in English, are dealt with on a parity basis so that we're providing equal service in terms of response. Our staff are trained to offer that service in both French and English. We have a number of bilingual staff and, in francophone regions, we certainly have the capability to deliver service in French right across the country.

Full testimony ↗

Nathan Svenson

Senior Director, Disability and Health Care Policy, Department of Veterans Affairs

Opening remarks

Thank you for the question. To be clear, there is no disparity in benefit entitlement between those who reside in the territories and those who reside in the provinces. When the program was designed, the term “province” was used in the calculation in the legislation, and that's the application that the department has been using to calculate the benefits since the formula was put in place. That was the original intent. The VAC has been calculating all of these benefits that are noted in the budget implementation act as originally intended, and the objective of the amendments is simply to make the legislation clear. Thank you.

Full testimony ↗

Nishika Jardine

Veterans Ombud, Office of the Veterans Ombudsman

Opening remarks

Good afternoon, Madam Chair and committee members. Thank you for inviting me to share my views on the veterans-related provisions of Bill C‑15, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025. I'm pleased to be joined by deputy veterans ombud and legal counsel, Mr. Duane Schippers. The Office of the Veterans Ombudsman was established in 2007 to investigate complaints and challenge policies and decisions of Veterans Affairs Canada, or VAC, where we find individual or systemic unfairness. I am the fourth veterans ombud, appointed in 2020, and reappointed in 2025. I am also a veteran with almost 37 years of regular force service, including a deployment to Afghanistan. I know budget 2025 will benefit the veteran community with the targeted investments in Veterans Affairs Canada to stabilize disability benefit processing and to modernize operations and IT systems. The demand for disability benefits continues to be acute, and I am heartened by this continued focus by government on reducing the time veterans have to wait to receive these benefits. I was, however, disappointed that our 2021 recommendation about mental health treatment…

Full testimony ↗

Finance

Summary

Witnesses · 4

Bills mentioned