Stories and testimonials

The Canadian Tour would not have been possible without the valuable support from Veterans Affairs Canada … The financial contribution allows students, teachers and cultural organizations to have the opportunity to discover an important part of Canadian history.

The First World War is well known in history books, classrooms, media and more, but the men who were members of No. 2 Construction Battalion are less well known. The Commemorative Partnership Program enabled British Columbia Black History Awareness Society to research and share important information on the 12 men from BC who joined the Black Battalion.

British Columbia Veterans Commemorative Association (BCVCA) could not have exhibited at Invictus [Games 2025] nor had such a meaningful international impact without the support of Veterans Affairs Canada and the Community Partnership Program (CPP). … By virtue of the CPP funding and our Veteran and volunteer support, BCVCA was able to internationally honour Veterans and their families and showcase the greatness of Canada’s military, past and present.

Since 2020, the City of Toronto has been honoured to be the recipient of [Commemorative Partnership Program] grants for special projects. Simply put, without this funding we would not have been able to deliver these programs. This funding helps us with research, creating signage, displays and plaques, enhancing ceremonial components, and conducting outreach to current military personal and Veterans.

We’re incredibly grateful for the support we received from the Commemorative Partnership Program, which helped bring an important part of Canadian history to life through our Re-Emergence initiative. … The CPP funding allowed us to engage directly with communities through storytelling, education, and visibility.

Read more about this project: The Re-Emergence initiative: Sharing the stories of 2SLGBTQI+ service members.

We were very pleased to get word that we would receive funding as this amount was key to be able to achieve the scope of the work that the [Former Township of South Norwich (Otterville) WWI] Cenotaph needed. … We continually get compliments on how good the Cenotaph looks, even from those not old enough to remember the original appearance. … CPP was very easy to work with. The grant portal worked very well.

Without the support of VAC, we would have not been able to mount our 80^th anniversary commemorative event in Ottawa. The [2025] event included a large educational component, and many of the attendees learned many new facts about “their” Veteran’s experience in battle and as a Prisoner of War. ... We are very grateful to VAC for providing funding for our event. I found your staff very accommodating, and the process of applying for funding was quite simple.

The project "L’histoire des Canadiens noirs en uniforme du 2e Bataillon" inspired us to honour and recognize the important contributions of these veterans. We dedicated our airwaves to broadcasting sharing their stories, highlighting a crucial part of Canadian history, including the sacrifices made by of those who lost their lives in service. By instilling a strong sense of belonging and pride within Francophone communities in Ontario and beyond, we are strengthening the understanding and recognition of what it means to be Canadian across the province.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Foundation is thrilled to be a recipient of funding from VAC’s CPP. One project of which we are particularly proud is ‘Women and the RCAF - 100 Years of Service’, which we developed in time for the RCAF’s Centennial in 2024. The program highlights lesser-known stories of the contribution of women, in non-traditional format including entertaining podcasts, interactive digital exhibitions and high-quality videos. We continue to experience high engagement of this project, which proves that more of these stories should be shared with Canadians in the future.

Jeremy Diamond, CEO, Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation

As we studied our proud military history, there was very significant concern in discovering how Indigenous Veterans were not treated equally upon release from our wars. For years, we wanted to acknowledge this injustice in a powerful way on behalf of all Canadians. Thankfully, many individuals and organizations shared this vision, and Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program has been a critical part of helping make it happen.

The restoration of the Wainwright Memorial Clock Tower means more than preserving bricks and mortar—it’s about celebrating our community’s strength, honouring the fallen soldiers it was built to commemorate, and uniting the town ahead of the 100th anniversary of the monument occurring on 13 September 2025. Thanks to CPP funding, we’ve been able to safeguard a beloved landmark, celebrate our heritage, and reawaken local pride in our shared history.

With our town [York Harbour] being a town that had many of our people join the navy or army, we really wanted a place to showcase the respect for the men and women who fought for us, and a place to mourn loved ones lost. … CPP has been amazing working with us to get it complete. We can’t send enough thanks and gratitude to be lucky enough to have received funding.

Thanks to VAC funding, we met our goals of expanding our mentorship program for səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) youth and building our Nation’s capacity to host both public and community-oriented commemorative services, preserve cultural knowledge, and increase appreciation and commemoration of the achievements and sacrifices of our Indigenous Veterans through conversations sparked by beaded poppies, woven sashes, and education provided by our Emcee and Tsleil-Waututh Members, who shared their knowledge at both our Indigenous Veterans Day and Remembrance Day events.