5 March 2026
13:00 – 16:00 (ET)
Virtual via Microsoft Teams
Advisory Group on Families Members
- Amanda Anderson
- Namita Joshi, True Patriot Love Foundation
- Tamara Kleinschmidt, Trenton Military Family Resource Centre
- Colonel (Retired) Telah Morrison
- Nora Spinks (co-chair)
- Yvonne Watson
Advisory Group on Recognition Members
- Caitlin Bailey, Vimy Foundation
- Simon Coakeley (co-chair)
- 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
- Anne Hurtubise
- Robert Jardine
- Dr. Lee Windsor, University of New Brunswick, Gregg Centre
- Lia Taha Cheng, Royal Canadian Legion
Regrets
- Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Charles Gendron, Royal Canadian Legion
- Heather Hook
- Laryssa Lamrock
- Superintendent (Retired) Dave LeBlanc, RCMP Veterans Association
- John Moses
- Rodney Parcher, Canadian Armed Forces
- Brian Prairie, Metis National Veterans Council
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
Canadian Armed Forces Representative
- Kara-Lee Casselman, Canadian Armed Forces
Observer
- Jamie Morse, Office of the Veterans Ombud
Land acknowledgement, welcome and opening remarks
The VAC co-chair opened the meeting by welcoming the members, delivering a land acknowledgment, and reviewing the agenda.
Recommendation Discussion and Vote
A member co-chair thanked the group for their earlier feedback and addressed the following overarching themes before reviewing the draft Recommendation Report:
- Align with the Government of Canada’s official definition of “families”;
- focus on recommendations rather than implementation;
- use consistent terminology, such as “Veterans” and “Surviving Families,”..
A member co-chair reviewed the draft Recommendations and invited members to share their perspectives..
Following this, members voted to approve two of the three recommendations. The revised version will be circulated to members in the coming days.
Review of Previous Record of Discussion
The VAC co-chair briefly reviewed the 9 December 2025 Record of Discussion. No concerns were raised by the members and the Record of Discussion was accepted as presented. The group will be notified when the Record of Discussion is published on the website.
Joint Recommendation Discussion – Discussion on Mental Health Support for Families in their own Right
The group discussed a joint recommendation between the Advisory Groups on mental health supports for Military, Veteran and Surviving Families. Key considerations included legislative feasibility, jurisdictional responsibilities, alignment with VAC’s mandate, reducing barriers to access and longstanding advocacy for mental health treatment benefits for family members affected by military service. The recommendation will be revised and shared with the other Advisory Groups for feedback.
The member co-chairs agreed to make the necessary edits to this recommendation before recirculating to the group. It would then be shared with the other Advisory Groups for their review and feedback.
Closing Remarks and Next Steps
The draft Recommendation Report and Joint Recommendation Report will be circulated for further review. The member co-chairs thanked the members for their valuable contributions to the group.
Meeting adjourned.