“Mr. Speaker, I know people at home are wondering, as it is 12:32 a.m., why we are here. A lot of people do not understand what a late show or an adjournment proceeding is. It is the opportunity for an MP in the opposition to ask for a 10-minute late night debate with the government on very important issues at the end of the sitting day. Of course, our sitting day finished at midnight today, so here I am. I will note the reason this is so important and why I am here at this hour. I am sure the government did not expect me to show up. The Government of Canada formally recognizes its obligation to care for military veterans and RCMP veterans. It has a solemn obligation. I rise today because the government is about to dismantle an employment policy that has supported Canadian veterans for more than 80 years. Since the end of the Second World War, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires has had the right of first refusal on federal security guard contracts. This was never simply a procurement arrangement. It was created for a clear social purpose: to provide meaningful employment for veterans transitioning from military service to civilian life. However, effective April 2027, the Liberal government plans to end that policy and move approximately $330 million annually in federal security contracts into competitive procurement. The Commissionaires is Canada’s largest private sector employer of veterans, employing about 3,500 veterans across this country. This matters enormously, including in my riding. I recently met with Mark Breslauer, the CEO of Commissionaires Victoria, and Katelyn Anderson, the north island client services manager. In the Comox Valley alone, the Commissionaires employs over 100 people. They talked about the impact this is having on their employees’ mental health and families. This is a community that is home to 19 Wing Comox and thousands of serving members, veterans and military families. These are not just numbers on a procurement spreadsheet. They are our neighbours. They are veterans. They are people who have served our country and found another meaningful way to continue to contribute. I am calling on the government to not abolish the program. If it needs improvement, the government should work with the Commissionaires. The Commissionaires is Canada’s only national not-for-profit security company. Its pure purpose is fundamentally different from that of a private security company, whose primary responsibility is generating profit for its owners and shareholders. If the federal government is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security services anyway, why would we not use that purchasing power to support Canada’s veterans? After all, federal procurement should serve the public interest. Every person who joins Canada’s armed forces or police services makes a promise to give up their life if necessary to keep Canadians safe. The right of first refusal with commissionaires is one small way for Canada to thank them, ensuring veterans have a job that allows them to continue to serve if they need that job. The government is now breaking that commitment. It offers nothing to replace it. The government’s own policy, public briefing materials and standing offer say that Veterans Affairs should work with the Commissionaires to study and modernize the right of first refusal. Instead, this 80-year promise has been broken without consultation, without a transition plan and without a replacement measure. Canada’s defence, intelligence, law enforcement, border, and corrections sites should be guarded by the best people. Why is the public interest being sacrificed? Canada does not benefit from cancelling the right of first refusal. Veterans do not benefit from it. Taxpayers do not benefit. Who does? It is time for the government to tell us who is benefiting from this and reverse this decision.”
Statement grade
A
The average of Signal, Relevance, Respect and Clarity.
Average 90 / 100
A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.
This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.
Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 11 wordsit is an honour to rise early on a Thursday morning.GreetingAside · 21 wordsThere is no doubt in my mind that I knew that my hon. colleague would show up for this early show.AsideProcedure · 21 wordsI appreciate this opportunity to speak today on the government’s behalf as we debate the very important issue of veteran employment.ProcedureClaims · 328 wordsThe Corps of Commissionaires has a long history with the Government of Canada, going back to 1945 when it began providing security guard services in federally owned or operated buildings across the country.1Back then, with thousands of veterans returning from the Second World War, it was crucial for the federal government to help them translate their military skills into stable employment, while also meeting growing security needs across federal sites.The Corps of Commissionaires addressed these dual issues as one.Its members were largely former service personnel whose training, discipline and experience made them ideally suited to safeguard federal properties and infrastructure.Thus was born the arrangement to give the Commissionaires priority access to federal guarding contracts, commonly called the right of first refusal, RFR.This reflected a post-war commitment to veteran reintegration delivered through the practical tools of federal procurement.On April 1, 2023, Veterans Affairs Canada implemented the policy of procurement of guard services to continue the RFR until March 31, 2026.2During these years, VAC completed a reassessment of the policy and its requirements, engaged with stakeholders and evaluated the RFR’s continued relevance in supporting veteran employment.The policy was then extended for one more year, until March 31, 2027, with the understanding that it would end as of April 1 next year.3It is important to note that one of the main stipulations of the arrangement is that veterans are to work a minimum of 60% of all hours worked under RFR contracts.4Since at least 2013 to 2014, the corps has not been meeting the standard.5Reports it has regularly submitted have confirmed a continuous decline in the number of veterans working under the RFR and that they are well below the required 60% benchmark.In fact, in Q1 of the 2025-26 fiscal year, that number had fallen to only 27%.6The RFR was designed to respond to a very specific post-war context that has evolved considerably over the past 80 years.Reasoning · 14 wordsThe government must therefore ensure that its approach to veteran employment reflects today’s realities.Claims · 22 wordsWe know that veterans are highly skilled.They are highly capable individuals whose service and experiences are assets to Canada’s labour market.Promise · 21 wordsWe want to keep tapping into that potential in ways that reflect the full range of opportunities available to veterans today.Claims · 90 wordsVeterans Affairs Canada has a national veterans employment strategy for this very reason.7It brings government employers and partners together so that veterans can better connect with meaningful employment opportunities and so that employers can better understand the skills that veterans can bring to our businesses.The department also supports targeted initiatives that provide education, training and career transition services to ensure that veterans are equipped to succeed across a wide range of sectors in today’s economies, whether that is defence, technology, logistics or in security roles on federal properties.Positioning · 27 wordsThis approach reflects a continued commitment to veteran employment that recognizes the evolving nature of both the labour market and the needs of those who have served.PositioningPromise · 20 wordsThe government will continue to work with partners, including the Corps of Commissionaires, to support veteran employment in meaningful ways.Vague promise
