Canada Spends Logo

Explore our Budget 2026 analysis

Veterans Affairs Canada

What Veterans Affairs Canada spent in fiscal year 2016-17: its net expenditure by standard object, from the Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II.

What Veterans Affairs Canada does

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is the federal department responsible for supporting Canadian veterans, still-serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and their families. It delivers financial benefits, health care and rehabilitation services, and recognition programs, and it leads the national remembrance initiatives that preserve Canada's military history.

Spending, 2016-17

Net spending, 2016-17

$3.77B

spent by Veterans Affairs Canada, less revenues it kept

Share, 2016-17

1.5%

of the net spending of every federal organization

How did Veterans Affairs Canada spend its budget in 2016-17?

By standard object. Revenues it kept are negative and netted against its spending. Transfer payments are broken into their largest named programs.

Spending by standard object, 2016-17

Transfer payments

Professional and special services

Personnel

Utilities, materials and supplies

Transportation and communications

Repair and maintenance

Rentals

Other subsidies and payments

Information

Acquisition of machinery and equipment

Acquisition of land, buildings and works

$2.77B

$444M

$278M

$214M

$30.6M

$10M

$7.1M

$4.8M

$3.5M

$2.2M

$1.9M

Total: $3.77B.

Spending by program, 2016-17

The same net spending by program, as GC InfoBase reports program actuals: $3.77B in all. Select a program for its history, plans and results.

Workforce, 2016-17

Full-time equivalents

2,636

the actual FTEs of its programs, as GC InfoBase reports them

Personnel spending

$278M

salaries, wages and benefits (the personnel standard object)

Personnel spending per FTE

$106K

personnel spending divided by full-time equivalents

A full-time equivalent is a measure of employment, not a headcount: two half-time employees are one FTE. Personnel spending includes benefits and pension contributions, so per FTE it is not an average salary.

Transfer payment programs, 2016-17

The grants, contributions and other transfers Veterans Affairs Canada paid, program by program: $2.77B in all, against $2.77B for the transfer payments object above (the Public Accounts publish the two tables separately).

Pensions for disability and death, including pensions granted under the authority of the Civilian Government Employees (War) Compensation Order, P.C. 45/8848 of November 22, 1944, which shall be subject to the Pension Act; for former prisoners of war under the Pension Act, and Newfoundland special awardsPaymentsGrant$1,331,052,207
Disability Awards and AllowancesPaymentsGrant$699,964,297
Earnings Loss and Supplementary Retirement BenefitPaymentsGrant$350,002,141
Housekeeping and Grounds MaintenancePaymentsGrant$268,825,825
Contributions to Veterans, under the Veterans Independence Program, to assist in defraying costs of extended health care not covered by provincial health programsPaymentsContribution$81,325,607
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionPaymentsGrant$11,086,868
Last Post FundPaymentsGrant$9,098,755
Contributions under the Commemorative Partnerships Program, to organizations, institutions and other levels of government, in support of projects related to the health and well-being of the veteran population, and commemoration activities and eventsPaymentsContribution$7,847,467
War Veterans Allowances and Civilian War AllowancesPaymentsGrant$6,522,429
Critical Injury BenefitPaymentsGrant$2,488,175
Family Caregiver Relief BenefitPaymentsGrant$2,123,454
Canadian Forces Income Support AllowancePaymentsGrant$1,111,151
Children of Deceased Veterans Education AssistancePaymentsGrant$756,577
Payments under the Flying Accidents Compensation RegulationsPaymentsGrant$674,488
Grant for Commemorative PartnershipsPaymentsGrant$536,232
25 programs$2,774,634,334
1 / 2

Contracts of $10,000 and under

Contracts this small are not published one by one: Treasury Board publishes each organization's totals, by calendar year, for contracts of $10,000 and under (their original value and their amendments) and for acquisition card purchases. They are the value of contracts entered into, not what was paid in a fiscal year, so they are not part of the net expenditure above, and the years are calendar years.

Calendar yearGoodsServicesConstructionAcquisition cardsTotal
2025$408,458$372,501$25,062$873,598$1,679,619
2024$477,982$702,259$0$1,051,841$2,232,082
2023$660,210$644,073$8,080$982,713$2,295,076
2022$599,083$695,297$0$765,002$2,059,381
2021$724,579$773,986$0$1,310,718$2,809,283
2020$649,254$508,252$0$925,649$2,083,155
2019$878,517$900,420$0$1,192,737$2,971,674
2018$756,797$593,648$0$1,059,781$2,410,226
2017$627,243$550,931$0$850,980$2,029,155

Veterans Affairs Canada’s share of federal net spending

Other organizations in Veterans Affairs