Establish veterans' housing benefit

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to establish a tax-free monthly housing benefit, administered by Veterans Affairs Canada, covering veterans’ rent or mortgage, not reducing existing benefits, with survivor protections, retroactive to 1 January 2020.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Canadian veterans have served Canada with commitment, sacrifice, and honour; Current serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces may receive housing-related support, including the Canadian Forces Housing Differential, to help address the cost of suitable housing where they are posted; Housing stability is recognized as important during service, and that need does not end when service ends; Many veterans and their families face rising housing costs, including rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, insurance, and basic home maintenance; Existing federal supports may provide emergency, temporary, or homelessness-related housing assistance, but Canada does not currently provide a dedicated, tax-free monthly housing benefit designed to cover veterans’ ongoing rent or mortgage payments; Surviving spouses, partners, and eligible dependants may face serious financial hardship after the death of a veteran, including the risk of losing their home; and No veteran or surviving family should be left without safe and stable housing. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Establish a dedicated, tax-free monthly housing benefit for Canadian veterans; 2. Ensure the benefit is sufficient to cover a veteran’s monthly rent or mortgage payment; 3. Ensure the benefit does not reduce, replace, or claw back existing veterans’ benefits, pensions, disability benefits, or survivor benefits; 4. Provide survivor protections, including the option to pay off an existing mortgage, provide a lump-sum housing payment for renters, or continue the monthly benefit for eligible survivors; 5. Make the benefit retroactive to January 1, 2020; and 6. Administer the benefit through Veterans Affairs Canada.

Government response

No government response is available yet.