14 January 2025
13:00 – 16:00 (ET)
Virtual - Microsoft Teams
Advisory Group Members (Families and Recognition)
- Caitlin Bailey, Vimy Foundation
- Simon Coakeley (co-chair)
- Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Steven Deschamps
- Andree Gracie
- Dr. Sean Graham, Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence
- Derrill Henderson, National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada and Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada
- Heather Hook
- Anne Hurtubise
- Robert Jardine
- Namita Joshi, True Patriot Love Foundation
- Tamara Kleinschmidt, Trenton Military Family Resource Centre
- Captain (Retired) Ray Kokkonen, Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association
- Laryssa Lamrock
- Colonel (Retired) Telah Morrison
- Nora Spinks (co-chair)
- Lia Taha Cheng, Royal Canadian Legion
- Dr. Lee Windsor, University of New Brunswick, Gregg Centre
Canadian Armed Forces Representative
- Kara-Lee Casselman, Canadian Armed Forces
Veterans Affairs Canada officials
- Sylvie Thibodeau-Sealy, Director, Policy, Learning and Recognition, Commemoration Division
- Kristy McGuigan, Senior Analyst, Community Engagement
- Elizabeth Hughes, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Megan MacKinnon, Program Operations Assistant, Community Engagement
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
- Michael Unsworth, Special Assistant
Observer
- Jamie Morse, Office of the Veterans Ombud
Regrets
- Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Charles Gendron, Royal Canadian Legion
- Yvonne Watson
- Lieutenant Colonel Wallace Noseworthy, Canadian Joint Operations Command, Canadian Armed Forces
- John Moses
- Superintendent (Retired) Dave LeBlanc, RCMP Veterans Association
Land acknowledgement
The VAC co-chair offered a land acknowledgement recognizing that she is joining this meeting from the traditional unceded territory of the Abegweit First Nation, which the Mi’kmaq community has called home for over 12,000 years. She encouraged members to take a moment to acknowledge the traditions and territory from which they joined.
Welcome and opening remarks
The VAC co-chair opened the meeting, thanked attendees for their participation, and introduced herself. She provided a brief update, noting that the Advisory Groups will continue ‘operating as usual’ and that updates will be shared as they arise. She also expressed satisfaction with the collaboration between the two advisory groups as they work towards their common goal. The member co-chairs introduced themselves and acknowledged the contributions of their predecessors.
Review Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct
The VAC co-chair briefly discussed and invited members to review the Terms of Reference and the Code of Conduct for the Advisory Group on Families and the Advisory Group on Recognition on the VAC website.
Debrief of 01 November 2024 All Advisory Group Meeting
The member co-chairs provided a debrief on the All-Advisory Group Meeting held on 01 November 2024. During this meeting, it was announced that the Advisory Group of Families and the Advisory Group on Recognition (formerly the Commemoration Advisory Group) will collaborate on this session. This collaboration will leverage the strengths and experiences of both groups, address issues collectively, and provide holistic recommendations to the Minister. All past recommendations submitted by both groups have been sent to the Minister, and the Department remains actively engaged in implementing those. Moving forward, this group will examine a new priority area of focus provided by the Minister.
Discussion of the Minister’s Priority Area of Focus
The VAC co-chair reviewed the priority area of focus for the group:
“Research how other countries recognize the sacrifices and contributions of military and Veteran families, particularly spouses, children, parents and caregivers. The Department will support you in connecting with community partners who research, recognize and celebrate the role of military families and the support they provide this community. Based on your findings, present any gaps that exist for the Department to address and how we can improve collaboration with local governments, community organizations, and the general public to enhance support, recognition, and ensure that the voices and experiences of military families are reflected within Veterans Affairs.”
The group recognizes that families have always supported our Veterans and made their own sacrifices in support of Canada’s military achievements. In this context, it emphasized realistic and actionable strategies to provide recommendations to the Minister by May 2026. Through strength-based discussions and exploring “Wouldn’t it be great if...” scenarios, the following themes and priorities emerged:
- Global best practices: Explore how other Five Eyes countries recognize the sacrifices and contributions of military and Veteran families, identifying successful initiatives and lessons that could inform and enhance efforts in Canada.
- Tangible and visual recognition: Explore initiatives like license plates, pins, murals and public events to honour military and Veteran families.
- Extend Benefits: Identify and analyze Veteran benefits that could be extended or transferred to the Veteran’s family. (This work is already underway with the recommendations submitted to the Minister from the Policy and Families Advisory groups) in June 2024.
- Educational campaigns: Raise public and media awareness about the contributions and challenges that military and Veteran families face.
- Define recognition: Establish a clear, shared definition of “recognition” to guide the group’s efforts.
- Promote well-being: All recommendations should, at their core, include strategies to address the well-being of Veteran families, including enhanced resources and support for military and Veteran families during relocations and postings.
- Ensure equity: Provide recommendations to ensure the equal treatment of all Veterans and their families, regardless of service type or family constellation, with a special emphasis on equity-deserving groups.
- Highlight contributions: Dedicate a day during Veterans’ Week to honour Veteran families and enhance their participation in public events.
- Ministerial and political engagement: Advocate for the Minister’s involvement in an upcoming Advisory Group meeting and ensure all parties include military and Veteran families in their political platforms.
- Expand partnerships: Work with organizations like the Military Family Resource Centres to expand their mandate to include RCMP families and RCMP Veteran families.
Closing remarks and next steps
The VAC co-chair thanked the group for their openness and willingness to share ideas. The member co-chairs expressed their gratitude to everyone for the engaging discussion and their valuable contributions. The group will continue to discuss the definition of "recognition" via email. The next meeting is scheduled for 27 February 2025.