Advances made with provinces and territories regarding military families moving

National Defence advances the Seamless Canada initiative with provinces and territories.

The Department of National Defence (DND) met with different participants from the provinces and territories in Ottawa over the past two days to discuss the department’s Seamless Canada initiative. 

DND launched Seamless Canada earlier this year, in Toronto to improve services when Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their families move to a different province or territory. The initiative aims to open communication channels and establish cooperation between DND/CAF and Seamless Canada. 

“The wellbeing of the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces and their families is my priority. Relocations can be a difficult experience for members and their families, and we are committed to resolving issues and easing that burden. We thank the provinces and the territories for working collaboratively to find solutions that will improve the lives of Canada’s military families,” says Harjit S. Sajjan, minister of national defence.

Representatives from all 13 provinces and territories participated in the second roundtable in Ottawa and discussed advancing the initiative. The meeting focused on health care services, spousal employment, and education considerations for military families. The participants also worked on setting out ways to improve how military families can seamlessly relocate between province and territories.

Seamless Canada initiative supports Canada’s Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) by helping the Canadian Armed Forces retain the talented people it recruits while ensuring their well-being. 

“Improving services across Canada for Canadian Armed Forces members and their families is a must. Moving is a challenging experience even in the best conditions, and I am committed to helping make things easier and less stressful when they relocate across the country,” says, General Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff.