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How the Legion helps Veterans and their families

Jul 23, 2018
Each year, the Legion helps thousands of Veterans and their families, free of charge, across this country and abroad. Through the support of our membership, we are making a difference.

The Royal Canadian Legion is known for the Poppy Campaign, supporting Veterans, and our advocacy work with other Veterans organizations. But how, exactly, does the Legion help Veterans?

Free assistance and representation services

Each year, the Legion helps thousands of Veterans and their families, free of charge, across Canada and abroad. Through the support of our membership, and the work of our Command Service Officers, the Legion provides ill and injured Veterans with assistance and representation services at all stages of the disability claim process.

Programs and support services for Veterans

We offer programs and supports for mental health, homeless Veterans, financial assistance, helping Veterans transition to civilian life, Allied Veterans and Canadian Veterans abroad, and more.

Our Outreach and Visitation Initiative volunteer network conducts over 5,000 visits annually to Veterans receiving departmental support for long-term care. In addition, our 1,400 Legion Branches offer support and assistance at the community level, and provide benevolent funding to local Veterans and their families in need.

Thousands of Legion members donate millions of volunteer hours in their community to provide essential services and supports to Veterans and their families. Find out how you can get involved and volunteer at your local branch.

Programs of Remembrance

Our Branches work hard to perpetuate Remembrance and help ensure Canadians never forget. Legion members conduct commemorative ceremonies in communities across the country to help Canadians honour Veterans.

Each year we raise millions of dollars through the Poppy Campaign to support Veterans. Branches work with local schools to offer the Legion’s annual poster and literary contests, which see hundreds of thousands of Canadian schoolchildren honouring Veterans and Remembrance through creative works.

Advocating for Veterans

The Legion also is fully and actively involved in advocating for the care, well-being and lifelong financial security of Veterans.

The Legion has a representative on every Veterans Affairs Canada Advisory Committee. We frequently meet with the Canadian government, including Veterans Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs to advocate on issues affecting Veterans and their families, to provide valuable insight into the challenges, and to recommend solutions and demand action.

Partnering with Veterans organizations

The Legion works alongside like-minded Veterans organizations to identify challenges and press for change for the care and benefits Veterans and their families deserve. The Legion also connects with numerous Veteran-focussed organizations, seeking input, sharing resources, providing financial support and building relationships to support our common cause.

Research for Veterans

The Legion is committed to supporting Veterans research, donating millions and providing scholarships to advance knowledge in the areas of diagnosis, treatment, and management of injuries and illness to help Veterans.

...… and this is just a small picture of what the Legion does on a daily basis to support Veterans, perpetuate Remembrance and strengthen communities. The Legion is here for all Veterans, and through the support of our membership, we are making a difference.

Have you been helped by the Legion, or know someone who has? Share your story! Contact us at marketing@legion.ca and tell us more.