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Veterans Affairs

In question period, members debated the government’s decision to end the right of first refusal that since 1945 had given the Commissionaires, a non-profit and major employer of veterans, preferential access to federal security guard contracts. Alex Ruff of the Conservatives asked why the government ended the arrangement, noting a Veterans Affairs briefing recognized it would affect older veterans, and later asked how many veterans work for the company that received the contract instead. Liberal parliamentary secretary Sophie Chatel replied that the CRA awarded the contract through an independent process to a Canadian company in Ontario that hired several veterans, and said the government’s focus is helping veterans, many of them younger with skills in areas like drones and cybersecurity, move into new careers.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Alex Ruff

Conservative
“Since 1945, the Commissionaires got first choice for federal security jobs, which helped employ veterans. The government ended this rule, even though their own officials said it would hurt older veterans who might not find other work. I want the minister to explain why the government did this.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, established in 1945 to support veteran employment, the right of first refusal gave the non-profit and largest employer of veterans, the Commissionaires, preferential access to federal security guard contracts. Considering that a Veterans Affairs ministerial briefing recognized that ending the right of first refusal could negatively affect older veterans, many of whom could struggle to find alternate employment, can the veterans minister tell veterans and Canadians why the Liberal government did this?

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Sophie Chatel

Liberal
“Our job is to help veterans move into good careers. Many are young and have strong skills in areas like drones and cybersecurity. We want employers to recognize those skills.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 40 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, yesterday we answered the question about the specific contract, but one thing I want to say to my colleague is what the minister is doing for veterans. Veterans today are, on average, 34 years old, and they have several skills. They work with drones. They work in aerospace. They work with cybersecurity. Our job is to ensure that the transition is successful, because the one thing they have asked for is a meaningful career and for their skill set to be recognized in all sorts of fields.

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Alex Ruff

Conservative

Linked statement

“The Commissionaires employs over 4,200 veterans. The government did not explain why it took away their special status for contracts. I want the government to tell us how many Canadian veterans work for the American company that got the work instead.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary did not answer the question. The question was about why Veterans Affairs, the Liberal government, ended the right of first refusal to the Commissionaires. I just want the numbers, so I will ask a different question. The Commissionaires employs over 4,200 veterans. Can the Liberal government tell Canadians how many Canadian veterans American-owned Allied Universal, a company with ties to ICE, the American deportation machine, employs? I just want the number of Canadian veterans that Allied employs.

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Sophie Chatel

Liberal
“The CRA used an independent process to choose who got this contract. It went to a Canadian company in Ontario, and that company hired several veterans to do the work.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, as mentioned several times, the CRA allocated the contract based on an independent way of allocating contracts. It is about an independent allocation of the contract to a Canadian company based in Ontario, and among the people hired on that contract, several are veterans.

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