Put Veterans First
The Conservative plan for Veterans starts with ensuring their benefits are in place before they leave the military and will:
- Automatically approve disability applications if they are not processed within 16 weeks.
- Give Veterans full control over their medical records.
- Let military doctors assess injuries using one standardized system.
- Ensure PTSD service dogs are available to Veterans who need them, with a consistent national standard for support.
- Make available the Education and Training Benefit to Veterans immediately upon receiving their release date.
Veterans shouldn’t have to fight their own government for the benefits they earned, but right now they face endless delays and denials — waiting months or even years for disability claims. This is wrong and Conservatives will fix it.
Conservatives will prioritize Veterans for jobs in the public service, give preference to veteran-owned businesses in federal contracts, double the hiring target at Veterans Affairs and fast-track the renewal of security clearances for those who already have them and need them for a new job. We will also add spouses of Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces Members who want to work for Canada into the Veterans Hiring Act.
Conservatives will help Veterans transitioning back to civilian life by:
- Providing Veterans the documentation they need to have their skills recognized by civilian employers upon release through a red-seal system.
- Ensuring Veterans get post-secondary course credits for skills and knowledge they gained while serving in the CAF, such as credit for courses on leadership if they already have a background in leadership positions.
- Reviewing and removing clawbacks of military pensions for Veterans who get jobs, ensuring their new income is on top of their pension, not in place of it.
A new Conservative government will also make sure that our military Veterans get the recognition they deserve for putting their lives on the line, and country before self. This includes recognizing Veteran Service Cards as valid government ID nationwide. We will also immediately complete the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan and officially recognize Persian Gulf War veterans and their wartime service.