Welcome Letter

Dear Minister Fisher,

Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. On behalf of the Defence Team, we would like to offer you a very warm welcome and we look forward to supporting you in your new role.

As the Associate Minister of National Defence, you support the Minister in leading the Defence Team, which consists of the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It represents the largest organization in the Government of Canada, with the most employees, one of the largest budgets, and the most vast land and infrastructure portfolio.

The Department of National Defence has an essential relationship with Veteran's Affairs Canada (VAC), whereby both organizations must work seamlessly together to ensure the successful transition of CAF service members to civilian life. This close collaboration is demonstrated through high levels of integration between DND, the CAF, and VAC, both at the senior and staff levels.

We look forward to supporting you in your new role and in continuing the work underway to provide professional support and transition services to CAF members, veterans, and their families. We have prepared a series of transition materials designed to provide you with a snapshot of the current state of the Defence Team, as well as information on the CAF Transition Group and the support services offered to members transitioning out of uniform. We are happy to organize more detailed departmental briefings based on your preferences and availability.

Once again, congratulations on your appointment, welcome to the Defence Team, and we look forward to working with you.