OTTAWA – Peace River – Westlock MP Arnold Viersen will be sitting on the a new parliamentary committee for the fourth time as he starts his fourth term in Ottawa on the Veterans Affairs committee.
“I’m looking forward to digging into it, it’s new for me all the way around so I’ll have to get up to speed to where we’re at,” said Viersen in a June 18 interview.
“I know that mental health supports for veterans has been a topic that has been discussed over the last number of years and I’m looking forward to getting into that discussion as well.”
The bulk of Viersen’s committee work was done on the Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee (INAC) where he spent six years working on a variety of issues including family integrity in Indigenous communities. He also worked on the Science and Research committee from September 2024 to January 2025, and the Public Accounts committee from February 2024 to September 2024.
“(Committee appointments) are kind of a murky process, our whip and house leader make those decisions. They ask us for our input on which committees we would like to be on and then they appoint us to a particular committee,” said Viersen.
Viersen is joined on the committee by three other Conservative MPs — vice-chair Blake Richards, Fraser Tolmie, and Cathay Wagantall — Bloc Québécois MP Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, and five Liberal MPs, including chair Marie-France Lalonde.
First steps
So far, the committee has only elected its chair during its first meeting of the session June 17, but Viersen said he’s eager to tackle some ongoing concerns when it comes to Canada’s veterans.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the new members and meeting with all the stakeholder groups from across the country. I know that the Wounded Warriors for example is an organization that I’ve worked with on a number of other issues so I look forward to re-engaging with a number of these groups,” he said.
In a media release announcing his appointment, Viersen touched on some broader goals the Conservatives on the committee will be looking to reach, including decreasing or removing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) from veteran’s hospitals.
“Sadly after 10 years, it is clear that our Veterans are nothing more than an afterthought to this Liberal government,” said Viersen. “Common sense Conservatives are the only party standing up for the men and women who fought for our freedoms.
“I am deeply concerned about the growing number of instances of veterans being offered assisted death by Veterans Affairs Canada employees instead of the supports and services they need.”
Viersen added that one of his first priorities was going to be initiating a study on mental health and suicide prevention for veterans, stating that the men and women who served their country deserved better.
