Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to cut red tape and step up support for veterans Saturday.
Poilievre unveiled his party’s plan for veterans during a press conference in Nepean, the suburban Ottawa community that contains the neighbouring ridings where he and Liberal Leader Mark Carney are running.
Carney did not have any public events scheduled. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s itinerary shows he will hold an evening event in Timmins, Ont.
Poilievre is vying for re-election in the riding of Carleton, where Saturday’s announcement took place, while Carney is carrying the Liberal banner in the Nepean riding.
Poilievre said his party would ensure military veterans’ disability applications are automatically approved if they’re not processed within four months.
Veterans have long complained about a backlog in getting those applications approved, resulting in delays in payments for those leaving active service.
“Veterans that have sacrificed so much to defend our country deserve to have us all championing them,” Poilievre said.
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“In return for that sacrifice, Canada’s veterans deserve a government that fights for them. That’s a core part of the Canadian promise. But after the lost Liberal decade, the government has failed our veterans.”
Veterans Affairs Canada has set a target of processing disability claims within 16 weeks, but in 2023-24 the department only met that standard 69 per cent of the time. Its goal is to reach the 16-week target 80 per cent of the time.
The department says the backlog of claims has decreased by 75 per cent since 2020.
There were more than 5,000 veterans whose cases were still backlogged at the end of the 2024 fiscal year.
Poilievre also said his party would give veterans control over their medical records and let military doctors assess injuries using a standardized system, as well as ensure people are able to get service dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The party is pledging to make the educational and training benefit available to Armed Forces members as soon as they get their release date.
Poilievre made the announcement flanked by Conservative candidate Barbara Bal, a former Armed Forces member running against Carney in Nepean.
Poilievre said the Liberals left veterans “stranded,” while a government led by him would put them first.
He said that would include giving veterans preference in bidding for federal contracts and providing them with documentation to have their trades skills recognized outside the military.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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