Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight is a first-time MP and minister who says she is committed to addressing wait times, women veterans’ needs and veterans homelessness. Photo: David Kawai
Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight admits that before she became an MP and minister as a result of the March 28 federal election, she had a completely different view of veterans than she did when Sage interviewed her, just weeks into the job.
“My vision growing up was thinking of individuals like my grandfathers who had been in service, or thinking of the individuals that I saw participating in a Remembrance Day Parade — it tended to be veterans who were a little bit older,” McKnight says. “Today, we know that the average individual completing their service with Canadian Armed Forces is in their mid 30s, and that’s very different from the vision I had growing up.”
As the newly minted MP and former entrepreneur takes the helm at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), wait times for services continue to be a complaint of veterans. The department has set a target of processing disability claims within 16 weeks, but in 2023 and 2024, it only met that standard 69 per cent of the time. The last stated goal was to reach the 16-week target 80 per cent of the time. The minister confirms that 16 weeks is indeed the target.
“That’s what we need to be working on,” McKnight says. “I know that Canadians want us to do better for our veterans. I want to make sure that the changes we’re making are the right changes to be able to deliver that. And I also appreciate that when there are delays, that’s creating challenges for the veterans and who are experiencing pain or suffering. This is probably the thing that keeps me awake right now, because I want to make sure we’re putting the people first. I also want to make sure, though, that we’re doing it in a way that makes sure each veteran gets that personalized care and attention to their file.”
The Liberals recently announced a plan to spend $2.6 billion for recruitment and retention as part of an overall spending plan of $9 billion, the largest defence spending commitment since the Second World War.
“This is about investing in the people, the tools and the equipment,” she says. “A lot of that conversation has been [related] to NATO’s [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] two per cent [of GDP] commitment.”
Asked whether that spending commitment comes with a plan to ensure that newly recruited service members are taken care of through their release or retirement, McKnight, who is also associate minister of defence, says it does.
“If we’re going to be recruiting somebody, we need to show that we’re going to be here for them long-term — this is a longer-term investment in the people,” she says. “I don’t think I can overstate the importance of that. These are the people that are protecting the opportunity for us to live the life we live today. And that’s pretty powerful. As we’re recruiting new members for the Canadian Armed Forces, that’s a future client for VAC.”
The treatment of women veterans — a priority for Federal Retirees, and a commitment exemplified in the association’s instrumental role in establishing the Women Veterans Research and Engagement Network — is a priority for McKnight. A report by the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs titled Invisible No More: Experience of Canadian Women Veterans made 42 recommendations to improve the lives of these veterans. The government has made progress on all 42, she says.
“We just recently marked the one-year anniversary of the report and the recommendations, and I was able to meet with a delegation of women veterans that day,” she says, adding that some of the recommendations involve the Department of National Defence.
“We also need to see this document as a living document because it’s not like you do it once and it’s all done. Things will continue to come up.”
The establishment of the Women’s Forum and the Women Veterans Council are both valuable additions in terms of ongoing information collection, she says.
On the subject of veterans’ homelessness — veterans are two to three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population and women who experienced military sexual trauma are 4.4 times more likely to face homelessness — she says “one homeless veteran is one too many.”
To combat homelessness among its clients, she says her department needs to connect with those individuals and find housing solutions for them, perhaps through the Housing First initiative. But that program addresses the issue broadly, not just for veterans, and, it was launched in 2017 and homelessness persists.
“I think the steps that we can take is connecting with those individuals and finding housing that’s right for their needs,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to connect with my cabinet colleagues on this — working together is how we can make meaningful change.”
One important preventative step is an emergency fund that veterans can access if they have an unexpected need and can’t pay their mortgage or rent. “There’s actually a program where [veterans] can get access to resources immediately to meet that [need], because we don’t want somebody to experience something that’s going to push them into being on the street, right?”
Asked about her goals for her portfolio, the minister says she wants to make life after service a priority and is looking forward to helping veterans through the Veterans’ Employment Strategy.
“One of the things that I’m quite excited about connecting with the modern-day veterans who are transitioning from their experiences with the Canadian Armed Forces into life after service — and [looking at] the opportunities to help them make a really successful transition into the business community and taking their skills and trades, and [seeing] how we can bring [those] into the workforce.”
She also wants to make veterans’ recognition a priority, and finally, as mentioned, she wants to build and strengthen the relationship between her department and the Department of National Defence. Her associate minister title drives home that aspiration.
“Our two departments really do work together in lockstep,” McKnight says.
“So I see great opportunity for us to work together there and to build on that. [Defence] Minister [David] McGuinty is very willing to work together.”
McKnight comes from the world of business, having received a bachelor of commerce in entrepreneurial business from the University of Victoria. She worked with her parents in their ladies’ clothing boutique and also with the Ladner Village Market, which allowed her to work with community artisans and producers.
Her job just before she ran in the 2025 election was as executive director of the Delta, B.C., chamber of commerce, after having served five years as its volunteer president. She is also an avid volunteer with other organizations, including the Ladner Business Association, the Delta Hospital Foundation, the B.C. Cancer Foundation and Dress for Success. No stranger to recognition awards herself, she has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Queen’s Jubilee Award and Delta’s 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award.
Her two grandfathers, an uncle, and her husband’s grandfather and great-grandfather served in the military, with one of her grandfathers serving abroad during the Second World War and the other stationed here at that time.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and commemoration events continue throughout 2025.