What is in Budget 2022 for Veterans?
A New Veteran Homelessness Program
The government is addressing the fact that thousands of veterans experience homelessness every year. They have served Canada with our flag on their shoulder, and they deserve a safe place to call home.
Budget 2021 announced $45 million for a pilot program to reduce veteran homelessness. To ensure that long-term support is in place, the government now intends to move directly to launch a targeted program.
- Budget 2022 proposes to provide $62.2 million over three years, beginning in 2024-25, for Infrastructure Canada, with support from Veterans Affairs Canada, to launch a new Veteran Homelessness Program that will provide services and rent supplements to veterans experiencing homelessness in partnership with community organizations.
Long-Term Supports to End Homelessness
Every Canadian should have a safe place to call home, but that still isn't a reality for many, including Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and veterans. Thousands of Canadians do not have a warm place to sleep at the end of the day, and during the pandemic, they have had to choose between the cold of the streets and the crowding of shelters.
Through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, the federal government has committed more than $3 billion to address homelessness, including doubling annual funding for four years in response to the pandemic.
The government remains committed to ending chronic homelessness and is proposing significant additional investments that will help make continued progress towards that goal.
- Budget 2022 proposes to provide $562.2 million over two years, beginning in 2024-25, for Infrastructure Canada to continue providing doubled annual funding for Reaching Home. This funding will provide longer-term certainty for the organizations doing vitally important work across the country and ensure that our communities have the support they need to continue to prevent and address homelessness.
Supporting Culture Change in the Canadian Armed Forces
Those who serve Canada with our flag on their shoulder contend with enough risks to their safety. Their workplace should not be one of them.
On December 13, 2021, the Minister of National Defence, Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Deputy Minister of National Defence delivered a formal, public apology to all current and former Defence Team members and Veterans who have been affected by sexual assault, sexual harassment, and discrimination based on sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Together, the government and the Canadian Armed Forces are working to create a culture that ensures every member serves in an environment where they feel safe, protected, and respected.
- Budget 2022 proposes to provide $100.5 million over six years, starting in 2021-22, with $1.7 million in remaining amortization and $16.8 million ongoing to strengthen leadership in the Canadian Armed Forces; modernize the military justice system; bring into force the Declaration of Victims Rights as set out in the National Defence Act; undertake engagement and consultation on culture change; and enhance restorative services, including dispute resolution and coaching services. Of this amount, $3 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, will be sourced from existing resources.
- Budget 2022 also proposes providing $144.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $31.6 million ongoing to expand the Canadian Armed Forces' health services and physical fitness programs to be more responsive to women gender-diverse military personnel.
This builds on funding from Budget 2021 of $236.2 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $33.5 million ongoing for the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada to support efforts to eliminate sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the military and support survivors.
Mental Health Support
- $140 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, to cover the mental health care costs of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive, or anxiety disorders while their disability benefit application is being processed;
To read the Budget 2022 speech or to review the budget documents, please visit: https://budget.gc.ca/