During the 20^th century, Canadians responded to their country's call for service during the South African War, the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. More recently, Canadians have answered the call to duty in the service of humanity, in a variety of peace enforcement, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world — many of them as hazardous as war service actually involving service in theatres of war.

Canada's development as an independent country with a unique identity and its standing as a leading and responsible member of the community of nations stems in great measure from the magnitude of its wartime exploits and the scope of its many achievements as a nation-in-arms. Much of its modern identity is, in no small part, associated with pride in Canada's enviable peacekeeping record. But Canada's unselfish contribution to global peace and security, both as Ally and peacekeeping partner, has exacted a terrible price in terms of lives sacrificed, health forfeited, hopes unfulfilled, families bereft and communities decimated by loss.

Veterans Affairs Canada exists, in no small part, to repay the nation's debt of gratitude and to shoulder its burden of responsibility to those whose courageous services have bequeathed this legacy of valour, citizenship, nation-building and global stewardship.

Prior to the First World War, there was no government department or agency responsible for Canada's veterans. During the 19th century, Canadians served in the Nile Campaign, the Fenian Raids, the Northwest Rebellion and the South African War. Canada expressed her gratitude to the veterans of these campaigns in traditional ways. But after the medals were presented, the victory parades had marched down Canadian thoroughfares, and public subscription had raised monuments to the "glorious dead", no concerted effort was ever made to care for the families of those who had fallen, or to help returned veterans knit up the ravelled threads of civilian lives.

The immense human toll of the First World War (1914-1918) changed everything. Out of a population of eight million, Canada had sent almost 620,000 men and women to war. Of these, 66,655 gave their lives and another 172,950 were wounded.

This time, there were explicit commitments to be kept to those who had served and to those who had given their lives. On the eve of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the battle that many say forged our sense of nationhood, Prime Minister Robert Borden made the following commitment to Canada's soldiers:

You men are about to enter one of the most serious engagements that ever faced the Canadian Corps.... As head of the government, I give you this assurance ... that no man, whether he goes back or whether he remains in Flanders, will have cause to reproach the Government for having broken faith with the men who won and the men who died.

Borden spoke in 1917, knowing that his promise was already grounded on a solid foundation. In 1915, a Military Hospitals Commission had been established to provide treatment to veterans. Within less than five years, the government would be offering free, all-embracing medical care to some 100,000 veterans through 104 hospitals, 44 of them directly controlled by the government, and through additional Unit Medical Centres distributed across Canada. At the same time, vocational training programs were introduced to prepare disabled veterans for peace-time trades and professions. In 1916, the Government addressed the question of compensation for disabled veterans through the establishment of a Board of Pensions Commissioners, to both determine pension entitlements and provide for the administration of pensions generally.

Within weeks of Canada's historic victory on Vimy Ridge in April, 1917, and with Prime Minster Borden's participation, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was granted its charter, laying the foundation for the lasting commemoration of the Commonwealth's war dead, including those from Canada.

By the end of the war, veteran's rehabilitation programs were combined into a Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment, which, throughout the following decade, tended in various ways to the needs of veterans and their families. They were supported in this task by organizations like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which was established in 1918 and entrusted by the government with the rehabilitation of sightless veterans.

In 1928, with the demand for rehabilitation programs easing, the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment was merged into the Department of Pensions and National Health, and the Board of Pension Commissioners' name was changed to the Canadian Pension Commission.

During the Great Depression and its immediate aftermath, many Canadians faced unemployment and numerous other challenges to the achievement of a stable, dignified existence. Among these were thousands of veterans, many of them unskilled. In 1936, the Veterans Assistance Commission was established to help address their needs. One of the innovations that arose from this body's work was the establishment of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, which has been providing meaningful employment opportunities to retired members of the Canadian Forces ever since.

Also in 1936, the War Veterans Allowance Board was established to administer the War Veterans Allowance Act. The allowance was essentially an old age pension awarded to qualifying First World War veterans who were deemed to have been pre-aged by the rigours of wartime service. By 1950, the volume of applications for the War Veterans Allowance lead to the decentralization of initial adjudication to Veterans Affairs district authorities, leaving the Board to concentrate on processing subsequent appeals.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), Canada's population of eleven million produced a fighting force of over a million men and women. Of their number, more than 45,000 members of the Canadian navy, army, air force and merchant navy would make the ultimate sacrifice. Approximately 55,000 of their comrades returned home wounded. When the war ended, virtually all veterans of the conflict faced the challenge of demobilization and a return to civilian life. Their challenge was significant, given the immense transformation that had taken place in Canada's economic and political landscape as a result of national wartime mobilization. If anything, the challenge faced by survivors of the fallen was greater still.

Recognizing that a large scale, sustained rehabilitation program would again be required with the coming of peace, the government divided the Department of Pensions and National Health into the Department of National Health and Welfare and the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1944.

A set of comprehensive programs — The Veterans Charter — was established to provide returning veterans with various benefits and assistance. These aids to demobilization, rehabilitation and re-settlement included:

• hospitalization and medical treatment
• disability pensions and pension advocacy services in the preparation of pension claims
• allowances for older "pre-aged" veterans incapable of fully maintaining themselves
• access to university education and vocational training
• land settlement grants
• rights to reinstatement in former employment and job preference in the Public Service
• a variety of counselling and rehabilitation services

At the beginning of the Second World War, there were still eight veterans' hospitals operating in Canada, which, along with a few other facilities, were caring for just over 2,000 patients. These facilities were rapidly overwhelmed by the arrival of casualties from the front, resulting in a rapid expansion of health care facilities. By 1946, Veterans Affairs Canada was operating 36 hospitals and treatment centres, providing care to a peak number of about 25,000 in-patients. Through these facilities and a large body of associated health care professionals, distinguished services were rendered. Many notable medical advances were achieved, for instance, in terms of rehabilitation offered to paraplegics, quadriplegics and amputees, often in partnership with two veteran-initiated organizations: the Canadian Paraplegic Society and the War Amputations of Canada.

Building upon the foundation of sheltered workshops established for unemployed or disabled First World War veterans, the Departmental Vetcraft Shops that emerged following the Second World War provided another means of offering disabled veterans the dignity of work and an earned income. Makers of commemorative poppies and wreaths, their products were distributed by the Royal Canadian Legion until the shops were closed in 1997.

Between 1950 and 1953 Canadian Forces personnel again found themselves in a theatre of war, this time in Korea, serving under a United Nations mandate. Their participation in that conflict resulted in 314 killed and 1,204 wounded. Benefits and services that were essentially similar to those provided to Second World War veterans were extended to over 25,000 Korean War veterans.

Since 1949, Canadians have been leading contributors to global peacekeeping missions of all kinds; most, but not all, conducted under the mandate of the United Nations. More than 100,000 Canadian service personnel participated in over 55 such missions during the latter half of the 20^th century. These operations have taken a toll in terms of the physical and mental well-being of participants. Since 1950, over 100 Canadian soldiers have been killed during peacekeeping missions.

In 1964, as a result of recommendations emanating from the Glassco Commission, the Department began to transfer some veterans' hospitals to provincial jurisdiction. Such transfers were initiated with the objective of improving the general efficiency of community health care delivery, contingent upon agreements regarding priority access for, and standards of care to be provided to, veteran patients. Today, only the Ste. Anne's Hospital continues to operate under Departmental authority.

In 1971, the Bureau of Pensions Advocates was established as an independent agency to ensure that persons seeking to establish claims to pensions or to appeal decisions concerning pensions and allowances would have access to a professional legal service which provided a solicitor and client relationship. At the same time, the Pension Review Board was established as an independent agency to hear final appeals of disability pension decisions rendered by the Canadian Pension Commission, and to interpret any point of law relating to the Pensions Act.

In 1987, the Veterans Appeal Board was established as an independent agency to hear and decide on appeals by applicants who are dissatisfied with decisions rendered on their pension or allowance claims. The Veterans Appeal Board replaced the War Veterans Allowance Board and the Pension Review Board.

In 1995, pension reform legislation aimed at streamlining the pension process and improving service to veterans received Royal Assent. This led to the transfer of the Bureau of Pensions Advocates to Veterans Affairs Canada, and the merging of the Canadian Pension Commission and Veterans Appeal Board into the newly-created Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

In 1999, the new DND-VAC Centre for the support of injured and retired members and their families was established as one of many initiatives designed to improve VAC's service to members and former members of the Canadian Forces.

As the nature of Canadian military service has changed and the passage of time has lead to shifts in the nature and needs of our client base, VAC has evolved too. Its record of innovation in meeting emerging demands for the effective delivery of programs and benefits to clients is a proud one. Today, VAC continues to contribute to the financial, physical and social health and well-being of veterans and other eligible clients, in recognition of the sacrifices they have made while serving their country. At the same time, it remains committed to keeping the memory of these sacrifices alive for all Canadians.

As a result of extensive consultation within the Department as part of the VAC Five-Year Strategic Plan Project, the following mission statement for the Department was approved in 2000. This mission statement essentially explains why VAC exists.

To provide exemplary, client-centred services and benefits that respond to the needs of veterans, our other clients and their families, in recognition of their services to Canada; and to keep the memory of their achievements and sacrifices alive for all Canadians.

VAC's mandate is to provide benefits and services to eligible Canadians who served their country during periods of armed conflict and peacekeeping and to honour their sacrifice and achievements in the defence of freedom. Its principal legislative authority is found in the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Major aspects of its legislative and regulatory mandate can also be found in the listing of 14 other published Acts of Parliament and 27 published sets of regulations and orders-in-council. Further elements of the Department's mandate are derived from various unpublished regulations and orders-in-council, many related to commemorative activities.

A significant part of Veterans Affairs' mandate for veterans' health care is embodied in the many orders-in-council and federal-provincial agreements which: (a) authorized the transfer of veterans' health care institutions to provincial jurisdictions; and, (b) set out veterans' continuing rights to long term care in the contract beds within those institutions.

As a result of extensive consultation within the Department as part of the VAC Five-Year Strategic Plan Project, the following vision statement for the Department was approved in 2000. The vision statement represents a shared image of VAC's future and what we hope to achieve together over the five-year horizon and beyond.

To provide exemplary service which honours the sacrifice and achievements of our veterans and clients.

The values and ethics both reflect and shape VAC's organizational culture; they guide us in our decisions and actions. The following values and ethics statement was approved in 2000, as a result of extensive consultation within the Department during the development of the VAC Five-Year Strategic Plan.

At Veterans Affairs Canada we value our client's contributions to the development of Canada as a nation and honour the sacrifices they have made in the defence of freedom and the pursuit of world peace. In expressing Canada's gratitude to them, we strive to exemplify the high principles which they have defended.

We act with honesty and fairness and always strive to do the right thing.

We treat everyone with respect. We recognize the dignity that is inherent in all people and celebrate the strength that comes from the diversity of people and ideas.

We take pride in our role as public servants and are dedicated to service excellence. We are committed to responsive, quality service, delivered with timeliness, courtesy and fairness.

We are accountable and responsible for our actions and accept the consequences of our decisions.

We value teamwork, and promote the principles of partnership, consultation and open communication.

We encourage the achievement of a healthy balance in the working and personal lives of employees, believing that this contributes to the vitality of individuals, our organization and our communities.

The Veterans Affairs Portfolio consists of the Department of Veterans Affairs which reports to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board which reports to Parliament through the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

The Department is made up of three branches (Veterans Services Branch, Corporate Services Branch, and Public Programs and Communications Branch), the Bureau of Pensions Advocates, three divisions (Audit and Evaluation Division, Corporate Planning Division, and Policy Co-ordination and Ottawa Headquarters Division). The three branches, the Bureau, two of the three divisions and the Senior Legal Counsel report to the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs; the Audit and Evaluation Division as well as the Office of Early Conflict Resolution and the Health Care Co-ordination Initiative Team report to the Associate Deputy Minister.

In September 1995, the provisions of Bill C-67 (Pension Reform legislation) took effect. This legislation was designed to improve delivery of disability pensions by making fundamental changes to the pension process. The Bureau of Pensions Advocates joined the Department, and the Canadian Pension Commission and the Veterans Appeals Board merged to form one appeal body with two levels of appeal-- the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. These changes allow the Portfolio to process client applications faster while maintaining clients' appeal rights.

Organizational changes resulted in the transfer of the adjudicative functions on initial decisions in the matter of pension entitlement and disability assessment claims to the Department, and also the merger of the review and appeal functions of the former Canadian Pension Commission and Veterans Appeal Board into the new Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

Personal information contained in the Department's personal information banks is used by all components of the Portfolio.

Corporate Services Branch

The mandate of this Branch is to ensure the effective and efficient use and protection of the Portfolio's resources (financial, human, materiel, information technology) and to provide support services. These services and advice are provided by a number of Divisions and Directorates:

• The Finance Division provides line and functional direction for the application of professional accounting and financial management standards and practices; oversees contract administration and materiel acquisition policy; tests and manages corporate systems; administers the purchase and sales agreements of land purchased by veterans under the Veterans' Land Act and Soldier Settlement Act; provides property contract management; senior management and Central Agency reporting; and financial services.

• The Human Resource Division provides leadership and support in matters related to the management of people issues within the Department; facilitates timely human resource transaction processing; and serves VAC managers and employees in their collective effort to ensure the delivery of a high quality service.

• The Information Access and Support Services Directorate is responsible for activities related to the Access to Information & Privacy Act; honours and awards services; editorial and translation services; the provision of support services (records management, video conferencing, accommodations, facilities and materials management); and the administration of environmental management.

• The Information Technology Services Division implements, operates manages, and supports the department's information technology infrastructure and related security policies. In partnership with business process owners, the Division develops, implements, and supports computing systems. Major responsibilities include: information management planning; commercial software evaluation, licencing, deployment, and maintenance; technical advice and support; custom software development, implementation, and maintenance; national help desk services; mainframe, wide area, and local area network management; information technology security and standards; electronic forms ; and electronic document publication and distribution.

• Security Services Directorate provides on-site security reviews; awareness-raising sessions; security and reliability clearances; security broadcasts and bulletins; coordinates occupational health; and ensures that physical, personal, and information assets are safeguarded.

This Branch is responsible for policy, program and service delivery of VAC's benefits and services programs. It is also responsible for negotiating with the provinces. These programs and services are provided by two Divisions, five Regional Offices, several District Offices, and a Hospital. The Branch Head Office in Charlottetown maintains functional authority over program delivery at the Regional and District Offices as well as at Ste. Anne's Hospital; it also maintains line authority over program operations within the National Operations Division, the Program and Service Policy Division as well as the Veterans Affairs Canada - Canadian Forces and Continuum of Service Projects. It is also responsible for delivering certain other centrally managed programs.

• The National Operations Division is responsible for adjudication and delivery of the disability pensions, War Veterans Allowance, and other economic support programs such as the Assistance Fund, Assistance to Needy Canadian Veterans Overseas, Education Assistance and the administration of trust funds; delivers a wide range of health care services and benefits covered under the mandates of the Treatment and Benefits, Long-term Care, and Veterans Independence Programs.

• The Program and Service Policy Division is responsible for disability pensions and health care policy and program development; residential care policies; benefits aimed at promoting healthy and independent living for veterans and other qualified persons; administers the final level of the redress process available to clients who are dissatisfied with decisions made for health care benefits. The Division reviews compliance with program policy; conducts quality control of field program decisions; coordinates strategic and operational initiatives aimed at improving the delivery of client services; and carries out health care research.

• Veterans Affairs Canada-Canadian Forces (VAC-CF) Project, established in 1998, serves as a focal point for implementation of the Quality of Life Initiative and other activities aimed at reshaping service delivery to CF members and former members. The project includes service improvement initiatives related to internal business processes as well as increased efforts directed at partnering and enhanced coordination of activities between both VAC and DND. This includes: implementation of proposed amendments to the Pension Act and the Veterans Health Care Regulations, the opening and ongoing operation of the DND-VAC Centre for the Support of the Injured and Retired Members and Their Families; and, the establishment of a strong network between the two Departments which encourages commitment to improvement of services for CF members, raising VAC staff awareness of CF members' needs and raising CF members' awareness of VAC programs and services. A staff exchange, in the form of a DND and VAC liaison officer has been established to augment these efforts.

• The Continuum of Service Project was established to respond to the recommendations of the Review of Veterans Care Needs, suggest ways to modernize the spectrum of benefits and services available to Canadian Forces clients, and propose options for the Minister to take to Cabinet. Principles of the Continuum of Service include: promoting a continuum of treatment and preventative services; integrating service delivery; enhancing partnerships; monitoring and measuring program outcomes; and sharing information and best practices. These principles were used as the cornerstone for a number of recommended changes to health program and eligibility for VAC's aging veteran clients and are now being used as a basis for responding to the needs of VAC's Canadian Forces clients.

• Ste. Anne's Hospital provides veterans and eligible seniors with high quality geriatric, psycho-geriatric and psychiatric care. It currently has approximately 550 residents. In addition, the hospital's Day Centre offers support services to maintain these veterans in the community. Given the complex nature of the problems presented by this clientele, including multiple diagnoses, cognitive deficit, chronic mental illness and frailty associated with advanced age, the hospital strives to provide its clientele with the best possible quality of life. The hospital is the largest single work location in VAC, employing about 1,275 individuals.

• National Service Delivery Network: Through its five regional offices and network of district offices, service centres and satellite offices located across the country, VAC delivers health care benefits and services and provides disability pension and social and economic support to veterans and qualified civilians in all regions of Canada. The Regional Offices are responsible for the provision of War Veterans Allowance as well as corporate services and functional direction in health professional areas, programs, finance, personnel, systems and administrative functions. The District Offices are responsible for the provision of counselling to clients and the delivery of benefits and services under the Veterans Independence Program, Long-term Care, Disability Pensions and certain social aspects of the Economic Benefits programs. The District Directors oversee all operations of their respective District Offices as well as for the various service centres and satellite offices for which they are responsible. In some instances, they may share management responsibilities for more than one District Office and they may also be responsible for counsellors deployed in various locations within their districts.

The Bureau of Pensions Advocates counsels and provides representation to veterans and other clients who are seeking a review or appeal of a pension or allowance decision before the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

Public Programs and Communications Branch

This Branch is responsible for the Commemoration program and departmental communications support function.

• The Canada Remembers Division undertakes public education and community outreach activities; conducts pilgrimages and ceremonies; provides financial assistance for funeral and burials in conjunction with the Last Post Fund Corporation; issues memorials including the Books of Remembrance; and maintains grave sites and cemeteries.

• The Communications Division provides professional communications advice to senior departmental managers in support of the Department's full range of programs and activities; develops supporting communications products designed for use by both internal and external audiences; liaises with the media, stakeholders and members of the general public to provide information on VAC issues and activities; and assists in the organization of special activities. The Portfolio library services are within this Division.

Corporate Planning Division

The Division supports the Deputy Minister by carrying out long-term, strategic and operational planning and developing strategic policy; providing advice on resource management advice, planning methods and practices, and departmental issues; investigates options for alternative service delivery; coordinates the development and implementation of parliamentary statutory reports; and carries out corporate responsibilities for initiatives such as Service Improvement and Sustainable Development. It is also responsible for providing departmental statistics and other management information as well as for developing and maintaining the Corporate Information System.

Policy Co-ordination and Ottawa Headquarters Division

This Division is responsible for providing executive support to the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Minister. The Division ensures policy consistency with respect to both internal and external policies; liaises with veterans' organizations, parliamentary committees, and central agencies; and is responsible for ensuring that government policy is reflected in legislation and regulations.

Veterans Review and Appeal Board

The Veterans Review and Appeal Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency established by Parliament in 1995, replacing the former Veterans Appeal Board and Canadian Pension Commission.

The Board considers reviews and appeals arising under the Pension Act, the War Veterans Allowance Act, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act, the Merchant Navy Veterans and Civilian War-related Benefits Act, and other related statutes.

Within the Veterans Affairs Portfolio, the Board is the final level for pension appeals from decisions made at the review level by the Board itself, and War Veterans Allowance appeals from decisions taken by regional Review Committees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In carrying out its mandate, VAC offers a number of programs designed to provide clients with a full range of benefits and services, as well as activities that commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of Canadians during periods of armed conflict.

Forecasts for Veterans Affairs Canada's Major Programs

A short description is provided below for the following major VAC programs:

• Disability Pensions
• War Veterans Allowance
• Veterans Independence Program
• Treatment Benefits and Other Health Purchased Services
• Long-term Care
• Funerals and Burials

Disability Pensions

Canadian Forces and Merchant Navy veterans of the First World War, Second World War or Korean War, and serving or former members of the Canadian Forces who suffer from a service-related medical condition may qualify for a disability pension. Civilians who served in close support of the armed forces during wartime may also qualify. Veterans and certain civilians who were incarcerated or avoided capture by the enemy may receive Prisoner of War Compensation. Veterans of Allied Forces may also be entitled to pensions and compensation if they lived in Canada prior to their service in the First or Second World War. Additional benefits may be awarded if the veteran has a spouse or dependants, or both. A portion of disability pensions is also paid to qualified beneficiaries following the death of a recipient. VAC also adjudicates on pension applications from members of the RCMP.

War Veterans Allowance

Veterans and certain civilians who meet income, service, age or health, and residency requirements may be eligible to receive an allowance and related benefits. Allied veterans of the First or Second World War may also be eligible to receive benefits if they were domiciled in Canada when they joined the armed forces. Allowances are paid at single, married or orphan rates. An additional amount may be paid for dependent children. Usually, the War Veterans Allowance (WVA) payments cease once the client becomes eligible for Old Age Security benefits at age 65.

Veterans Independence Program

The goal of the Veterans Independence Program (VIP), which was introduced in 1981, is to help eligible veterans and certain civilians remain healthy and independent in their own homes or communities. Under VIP, the Department contributes to the payment of services such as grounds maintenance, housekeeping, meals-on-wheels, personal care, care by health professionals, transportation for social activities and nursing home care.

Treatment Benefits and Other Health Purchased Services

Treatment benefits and Other Health Purchased Services (OHPS) may include medical, surgical and dental care, prosthetic devices, home adaptations, supplementary benefits such as travel costs for examinations or treatment, and other community health care services and benefits. Palliative and respite care may also be provided. Income-qualified veterans and certain civilians may be eligible for treatment benefits not provided under a provincial health insurance plan. Disability pensioners receive treatment for their pensioned condition.

VAC has contracted with Blue Cross of Atlantic Canada to deliver an automated service known as the Treatment Accounts Processing System (TAPS), to administer veterans' health care bills. This system processes 4 million transactions a year. Benefits and services under TAPS represent the largest portion of the total OHPS forecast. These expenditures are heavily influenced by changeable provincial coverage for aids-to-daily living, personal care, dental care, and drugs.

Long-term Care

Long-term institutional care is provided to eligible clients in community care facilities or in the Departmental hospital in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec. Currently, funding is provided to veterans in 4,082 Priority Access Beds (PABs) located in 76 facilities across Canada. In addition, the Veterans Independence Program funds approximately 3,500 additional veterans residing in over 1,500 community care facilities. During the past three years, the number of institutionalized veterans has remained relatively constant at about 7,200 per year.

Funerals and Burials

This benefit provides assistance with funeral and burial expenses and the provision of grave markers, in cases where the estate's assets are insufficient to provide for a dignified burial, or where death is related to military service or a pensioned condition.

Effective April 1, 1998, the Last Post Fund (LPF) Corporation is responsible for the delivery of the Funeral and Burial program. VAC continues to process the Matter-of-Right applications.

Other programs and services are provided by Ste. Anne's Hospital, the Bureau of Pensions Advocates, and the Commemoration Program.

Ste. Anne's Hospital

Opened in 1971, the Ste. Anne's Hospital was one of the last hospitals constructed for operation by VAC. It is located on a 21-hectare site less than half an hour from Montreal.

The Hospital's mission is to provide veterans and eligible seniors with high quality geriatric, psycho-geriatric and gero-psychiatric care that respects both dignity and autonomy. Through its Day Centre, the hospital also offers support services to patients who are still living in their own homes. It offers a wide range of services such as social and recreational activities, physiotherapy, animal therapy, and a unique dysphagia program. To treat dementia, a condition often associated with aging clientele, Ste. Anne's has set up an innovative psycho-geriatric program of a kind found only in about 20 North American hospitals. Whether in the treatment of physical illness in geriatrics, cognitive disorders in psycho-geriatrics, chronic mental illness in gero-psychiatrics, or through the services of its Day Centre, the Hospital strives to provide its residents with the best possible quality of life.

In making the best use of its resources, the Hospital strives to optimize the programs and services it offers, while adapting them to the needs of its aging clientele. Relations between staff and residents are characterized by a profound appreciation of the veterans' exceptional achievements and respect for their personal integrity.

The Bureau of Pensions Advocates

The Bureau of Pensions Advocates provides legal advice and representation to veterans and other eligible clients for:

• reviews or appeals of unfavourable, or partially favourable, entitlement or assessment pension
• allowance decisions rendered at the first level of adjudication, or
• final appeals of War Veterans Allowance decisions.

The Bureau of Pensions Advocates, alone or in conjunction with other organizations, represents approximately 95% of veterans and other eligible clients appearing before the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. The number of clients represented each year is affected by the outcome of decisions at the first application level.

The Commemoration Program

The Commemoration Program's overall objective, as modified in 1999, is "to recognize and keep alive the memory of the achievements and sacrifices of Canadian citizens who have served in the defence of freedom and have so contributed to the development of Canada as a nation."

The Program is composed of a number of inter-related components, described below.

The Public Education component provides educational products and resources to provincial curriculum officials, educators and students, for use within an estimated 16,500 schools, colleges and universities across Canada. It also fosters youth engagement in commemorative activities throughout the year.

The Community Outreach component strives to engage all members of the Canadian public, and the communities in which they live, in commemorative ceremonies and activities, including those organized in support of other program components, i.e., pilgrimages. It promotes similar engagement abroad where appropriate. In doing so it produces, or partners, in the production of event-driven publications, videos, on-line VAC website features, special displays and other commemorative products.

The Pilgrimages and Ceremonies component of the program offers veterans an opportunity to return to former battlefields, visit war cemeteries, and to commemorate the lives and achievements of colleagues, past and present. They also include the participation of youth, Canadian parliamentarians, and a combination of diplomatic, veteran, youth and citizen populations in the countries visited during each pilgrimage. Media participation and electronic reporting allow this activity to reach much wider audiences at home and abroad. Additional non-pilgrimage ceremonies are organized in support of visiting dignitaries or to mark special occasions and anniversaries of commemorative importance.

Through the agency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, the Graves, Grave Markers and Cemeteries component of the program attends to the care of over 82,000 Canadian war graves located in 74 countries, and to the commemoration on memorials of almost 28,000 Canadian war dead who have no known grave. The program also addresses Canada's responsibility for an additional estimated 300,000 grave sites in some 15,000 domestic cemeteries in which rest deceased veterans, members of the Canadian Forces and others, who were buried at the expense of Canada.

The Memorials component of the program is responsible for the maintenance, development and preservation of two memorial sites located in France and eleven smaller battlefield memorials in France and Belgium. It also assumes various responsibilities in relation to four other memorials located in Belgium, Canada, France and the United States of America. This component has a number of target audiences, including war veterans and their immediate families, the Canadian public and the world community. Canada's two Great War memorial sites in France receive particularly notable visitations. Each year over 750,000 people visit the Vimy Memorial. Of these an estimated 60,000 are Canadians. Nearly 80,000 people visit the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. The Books of Remembrance, located in the Memorial Chapel of the Peace Tower in Ottawa, are visited by thousands of individuals each year, and viewed electronically by others from around the world via the Internet.

The Honours and Awards component of the program is responsible for providing decorations, service medals and awards to eligible recipients, and for determining award gratuities associated with specific gallantry awards. It will also issue or replace war service medals and badges to eligible members of deceased veterans' families. It makes recommendations regarding the creation and award of "commemorative distinctions" to Canadian groups that have rendered notable services during periods of conflict, in accordance with qualifying criteria. During 1998-1999 the Honours and Awards office issued 5,682 medals or bars to medals. The Merchant Navy Registry made 587 such issues during the period.

The Research and Archives component of the program is responsible for ensuring the historical accuracy of information, and for the preservation and protection of archival resources.

Client-Centred Service Approach »»