Veterans Affairs Canada Advisory Groups
01 November 2024
13:30 – 14:30 ET
Virtual - Microsoft Teams
Advisory Group Members
Care and Support, and Policy
- Mary Boutette, The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre
- Second Lieutenant (Retired) Walter Callaghan
- Captain (Retired) Rod Holowaty
- Sergeant (Retired) Andrea Newton
- Alexa Pasha, Royal Canadian Legion
- Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Lori Buchart
- Major (Retired) Mark Campbell
- Sergeant (Retired) Kim Hendricken, RCMP Veterans Association
- Captain (Retired) Dennis LeBlanc
- Brigadier General (Retired) Joe Sharpe
- Sailor 1st class (Retired) Scott White
Health and Well-being
- Sergeant (Retired) Michael Blais, Canadian Veterans Advocacy
- Dave Gallson, Mood Disorders Society of Canada
- Sergeant (Retired) Alannah Gilmore
- Corporal (Retired) Victoria Jonas
- Captain (Retired) Tarik Kadri
- Corporal (Retired) Dennis MacKenzie, Brave and Broken
- Dr. Stewart Madon, Canadian Psychological Association
- Warrant Officer (Retired) Brian McKenna
- Karina Rolland, Mental Health Commission of Canada (on behalf of Karla Thorpe)
- Dr. Gail Wideman
Recognition and Families
- Caitlin Bailey, Vimy Foundation
- Simon Coakeley
- 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
- 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
- Lia Taha Cheng, Royal Canadian Legion
- Nora Spinks
- Dr. Lee Windsor, University of New Brunswick, Gregg Centre
Service Excellence and Transition
- Julia-Joseph Burke
- Dr. Darryl Cathcart
- Corporal (Retired) Sylvain Chartrand, Canadian Veterans Advocacy
- Lieutenant Colonel Michael Draho, Liaison Offer to Veterans Affairs Canada, Canadian Armed Forces
- Deanna Fimrite, Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada
- Warrant Officer (Retired) Jessica Hewett
- Master Warrant Officer (Retired) Michael Hogan
- Lieutenant (Retired) Carolyn Hughes, Royal Canadian Legion
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
- The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
- Sweta Daboo, Special Assistant, Atlantic Desk
- Tabea De Vries, Special Assistant
- Serena Smith, Senior Policy Advisor
- Michael Unsworth, Special Assistant
- Jonathan Wiseman, Policy and Operations Advisor
Veterans Affairs Canada officials
- Paul Thomson, Director General, Commemoration Division
- Pamela Harrison, Director General, Community Engagement
- Nathalie Pham, Director General, Field Operations
- Dr. Lisa Garland Baird, RN PhD, Senior Researcher, Policy and Research
- Nathan Svenson, A/Senior Director, Policy and Research
- Jeff Gallant, Manager, Community Engagement
- Kristy McGuigan, Senior Analyst, Community Engagement
- Elissa Morgan, Senior Analyst, Community Engagement
- Amy MacDougald, Senior Analyst, Community Engagement
- Craig DesRoches, Senior Advisor, Community Engagement
- Kirstin Sweet, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Elizabeth Hughes, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Charlene Pascal, Project Officer, Community Engagement
- Noah Ellis, Project Operations Assistant, Community Engagement
- Megan MacKinnon, Program Operations Assistant, Community Engagement
- Julien Gallant, Student Observer, Community Engagement
- Lindsay Brant, Operations Assistant, Departmental Assistant Office
Observers
- Laura Kelly, Office of the Veterans Ombud
- Jamie Morse, Office of the Veterans Ombud
- Sonia Poirier, Office of the Veterans Ombud
- Bronwyn Rodd, Office of the Veterans Ombud
- Duane Schippers, Office of the Veterans Ombud
Regrets
Care and Support, and Policy
- Lieutenant Navy (Retired) Sylvain Bouliane, VeteransCanada.ca
- Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (Retired) Debbie Eisan, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
- Major (Retired) Jorma Hamalainen
- Major (Retired) Bruce Henwood
- Reverend Ken MacLaren
- Marie Andrée Malette, Canadian Caregivers Brigade
- Sergeant (Retried) Catherine Bergeron
- Tim Goddard
- Master Corporal (Retired) Keith McAllister, Veterans UN-NATO Canada
Health and Well-being
- Commodore Dan Bouchard, Canadian Armed Forces
- Constable (Retired) Trevor Jenvenne, Royal Canadian Legion
- Dr. Don Richardson, Canadian Psychiatric Association
- Captain (Retired) Robert Thibeau, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
- Karla Thorpe, Mental Health Commission of Canada
Recognition and Families
- Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Robert Bell
- Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Steven Deschamps
- Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Charles Gendron, Royal Canadian Legion
- Anne Hurtubise
- Superintendent (Retired) Dave LeBlanc, RCMP Veterans Association
- John Moses
- Lieutenant Colonel Wallace Noseworthy, Canadian Joint Operations Command, Canadian Armed Forces
- Laurie Ogilvie, Military Family Services, Canadian Armed Forces
- Lieutenant (Retired) Yvonne Watson
Service Excellence and Transition
- Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Dave Byrne
- Deputy Commissioner (retired) Steve Graham, RCMP Veterans’ Association
- Corporal (Retired) Bruce Moncur
Veterans Affairs Canada
- Sylvie Thibodeau-Sealy, Director, Commemoration, Veterans Affairs Canada
Opening Remarks
Pamela Harrison, Director General, Community Engagement opened the meeting by welcoming all Advisory Group members and recognizing the upcoming Veteran’s week. She expressed her gratitude to all Veterans for their service and encouraged the group to take in their local Veteran’s week events. She thanked the group for their attendance today and for their past contributions in producing recommendations to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. Pamela informed the group that they can expect responses to those recommendations in the near future.
Land acknowledgement
Pamela Harrison offered a land acknowledgement, recognizing that she resides on the unceded territories of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. She encouraged everyone to acknowledge the land from which they are joining the meeting and to work together toward reconciliation.
Introduction of updated Advisory Group structure and introduction of new VAC Co-Chairs
Pamela Harrison, Director General, Community Engagement provided the members with an overview of the new advisory groups structure including updates to the names and new collaborations. For the 2024 - 2026 session, the members will work together on their four priority areas, in the following collaborations:
- Service Excellence and Transition Advisory Group
- Health and Well-being Advisory Group (formerly the Mental Health Advisory Group)
- Advisory Group on Recognition (formerly Commemoration) will work jointly with Advisory Group on Families
- Care and Support Advisory Group will work jointly with Policy Advisory Group
She invited members to nominate themselves for the new member co-chair positions and outlined the selection process. If there are multiple nominations for an advisory group, voting will be sent to members via email. She then introduced the newly appointed VAC Co-Chairs:
- Nathalie Pham, Director General, Field Operations for the Service Excellence and Transition Advisory Group
- Dr. Lisa Garland Baird, RN PhD, Senior Researcher, Policy and Research for the Health and Well-being Advisory Group
- Sylvie Thibodeau-Sealy, Director, Commemoration for the Advisory Group on Recognition and Advisory Group on Families
- Nathan Svenson, A/Senior Director, Policy and Research for the Care and Support Advisory Group and Policy Advisory Group
Sylvie Thibodeau-Sealy was unable to attend the meeting and Paul Thomson, Director General, Commemoration Division and former VAC Co-Chair of the Commemoration Advisory Group attended on her behalf.
Welcome from the Minister and priority areas of focus provided to the Advisory Groups
The Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defense welcomed everyone to the new session of the Advisory Groups and expressed her sincere gratitude for the groups commitment to supporting Veterans and their families. Minister Petitpas Taylor presented her priority areas of focus for each Advisory Group, and advised that some groups will collaborate on specific topics as outlined herein. Letters outlining these priority areas of focus will be sent from the Minister to each group in the coming weeks. Each group is encouraged to provide a written report by 31 May 2026, with the opportunity to present their recommendations at the 2026 National Stakeholder Summit.
Concurrent Break-out Sessions
The four groups of members then met in concurrent break-out sessions with their new VAC Co-Chair or representative. During this session, the VAC Co-Chairs began by introducing themselves and providing a background of their role. They reviewed the Advisory Group processes, presented the upcoming meeting schedule, and outlined the plan for selecting member co-chairs. The members then had the opportunity to introduce themselves followed by a group discussion. Members requested clarification and additional information on the new priority areas of focus. Additionally, some questions were raised on the logistics of the meetings for the collaborative groups. One member expressed their dissatisfaction with the timing of the meeting, as it conflicted with the Senate Ceremony of Remembrance. These questions and concerns were discussed during the meetings and in specific cases, the VAC Co-chairs will follow-up with the individual members directly. The VAC Co-Chairs thanked everyone for taking the time to meet and advised the next meeting will be scheduled for January 2025 during which, the groups will be discussing their priority area of focus in detail and their work plan.