Poilievre outlines plan to boost support for veterans

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to boost support for veterans on Saturday by cutting bureaucracy and putting caps on wait times for the approval of disability applications.

Mr. Poilievre unveiled the plan during a news conference in the Ottawa community of Nepean, where both he and Liberal Leader Mark Carney are running in neighbouring ridings in the April 28 election.

During the announcement, Mr. Poilievre said veterans want faster services and supports for themselves and their families.

“I have not encountered a single veteran [who] says that he needs more bureaucracy,” he said. “What they’re saying is actually they need less bureaucracy, so that they can actually get their benefits and get on with their lives.”

Mr. Poilievre said that under a Conservative government, disability applications would be automatically approved if they are not processed within four months.

He said veterans would also have full control over their own medical records, service dogs would be available for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and clawbacks of military pensions for those who get new jobs would be reviewed and removed.

“Why would we want to punish a veteran who’s maybe 45 years old and goes out into the private sector and offers something to our economy? They should get more money,” said Mr. Poilievre.

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Veterans have long complained about a backlog in getting disability applications approved, which leads to delays in payments for those leaving active service.

Veterans Affairs Canada has set a target of processing those claims within 16 weeks, but in 2023-24, the department only met that standard 69 per cent of the time. Its goal is to reach the 16-week target 80 per cent of the time.

The department says the backlog of claims has decreased by 75 per cent since 2020.

There were more than 5,000 veterans whose cases were still backlogged at the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

The Conservatives would move to make the veterans’ transition into civilian life easier, said Mr. Poilievre, including by ensuring education and training benefits are immediately available upon release.

“Veterans that have sacrificed so much to defend our country deserve to have us all championing them,” Mr. Poilievre said.

“In return for that sacrifice, Canada’s veterans deserve a government that fights for them. That’s a core part of the Canadian promise. But after the lost Liberal decade, the government has failed our veterans.”

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Conservatives would also prioritize veterans for positions in the public service, including doubling the hiring target at Veterans Affairs and fast-tracking security clearance renewals. The spouses of veterans and military members would also be included in the Veterans Hiring Act, Mr. Poilievre said.

Veteran-owned businesses would be prioritized for government contracts, he said, adding that he would work with the Red Seal program and post-secondary institutions to make sure skills gained in the military are properly recognized.

Mr. Poilievre said that the Veteran’s Service Card would be recognized as valid government ID. He also said he would ensure that the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan, a project started by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2014, will be built. And he pledged to officially recognize the Persian Gulf War veterans.

When asked about Canada’s medical assistance in dying, the Conservative Leader said his party would keep the regime in place, but would not expand it beyond its current parameters.

“People will continue to have the right to make that choice, the choice for themselves,” he said. “That said, we believe that we also need better health care so that people have all sorts of options.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party announced the creation of the “Canada Strong Pass,” which the party said aims to help Canadians take advantage of domestic attractions if they opt not to travel to the United States.

The pass would give people under 18 years old free access to Canada’s national galleries and museums from June to August 2025, as well as free seats on VIA Rail when travelling with their parents. People aged 18 to 24 would also get “heavily discounted access and fares.”

“Whether it’s trips to national parks and historic sites, spending the day at a national art gallery or museum, or hiking Canadian trails, my new government will help the next generation discover all Canada has to offer this summer,” Mr. Carney said in a statement. “We are a proud country – and united, we will strengthen our Canadian identity in the face of this crisis.”

He said Ottawa would work with the provinces and territories to implement a similar price structure at provincial museums and galleries, and would also reduce camping site prices in national parks for all Canadians this summer.

Mr. Carney did not have any public events scheduled Saturday, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was expected to hold a campaign event in Timmins, Ont., in the evening.

With a report from The Canadian Press