New report highlights insights and potential avenues for action shared by the Francophone Veteran and Family community

Francophone Veterans represent about one-quarter of the Canadian Veteran population, yet French-language services across the Veteran and Family ecosystem — including health care, mental health, transition support and community-based organizations — is insufficient to meet their needs with this gap particularly pronounced outside Quebec, according to feedback received in a recent roundtable hosted by the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families.

Understanding the barriers and lived experiences of Francophone Veterans and Families is an important step in ensuring that all Veterans and their Family members can get appropriate care that honours their service and sacrifices. With this in mind, the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families gathered Francophone community members for a roundtable discussion in December 2025 to explore specific issues Francophone Veterans and Families face related to health and well-being. This meeting, which took place in Montréal, brought together Francophone Veterans, Family members, researchers and clinicians from 11 organizations.

Atlas has released a new report summarizing what was heard during this event. It shares insights from the community with the goal that these findings can be used to inform change and create more equitable access to mental health care for Francophone Veterans and their Families wherever in Canada they may be located.

Included in this report

The report includes a summary of some of the main challenges raised during this event, which fall within the following key themes:

• The gap between the stated offer and reality
  • The offer of appropriate French support exists on paper, but not always in reality. Selecting “French” does not guarantee the quality or authenticity of the service — and when the support is offered, it may be less complete or adapted than its Anglophone counterpart. This gap between what is being offered and the lived experience can erode trust.
• Translation does not equal cultural adaptation
  • Not being able to express oneself in one’s first language can lead to isolation, distress and alienation and may even increase the risk of suicidal ideation. When the words to express one’s suffering come only in French, having to do so in English becomes another obstacle.
• Francophone expertise is largely underutilized
  • A translation-alone approach can lead to loss of meaning, misinterpretation and lack of cultural relevance. When tools are simply translated rather than co-developed, Francophone Veterans and Families may struggle to identify with them, which compromises the relevance and effectiveness of these tools.
• Impact on mental health
  • Francophone expertise — research, practice-based and lived — does exist, but is not systematically consulted. There is no established practice to involve them in the development of tools and services that are national in scope, which contributes to strengthening a parallel system rather than equitable integration.
• Funding imbalance
  • Notable example: 2% of the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund is allocated to serve 23% of the Veteran population. This structural imbalance limits the capacity for action in Quebec and for Francophones across the country.

Suggestions for ways to improve care for Francophone Veterans and their Families included:

• Bridging practice-based knowledge and experience and public policies
• Ensuring knowledge is translated into concrete actions
• Adapting and raising awareness of the Atlas tools that remain little-known
• Developing French-language first-person resources such as blogs and podcasts that speak to the lived experience of Francophone Veterans and Family members
• Creating a community of practice that brings together key Francophone interest holders

Learn more and read the full report: atlasveterans.ca/francophone-veterans-families-roundtable-report

There is an opportunity to improve the mental health care landscape for Francophone Veterans and Families by continuing to work collaboratively across systems, ensuring they receive the support they need and deserve, in the language of their choice. The insights learned from the roundtable lay the groundwork for further policy development, research and community advocacy, setting the stage for future efforts to create meaningful, systemic change.