Hour 2 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. February 26th, 2026

Significant cuts are on the horizon at Veterans Affairs Canada. To be more specific, $4.23 billion worth of cuts. And most of them will be inflicted upon the Bureau of Pension Advocates, which provides critical support to Canadian veterans. It’s forecasted that these funding cuts will shrink the workforce by 44 percent, with only 130 of 226 employees keeping their jobs. Kristy Cameron chats with Toufic El-Daher, the National President for the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees. And in sports news, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson have returned to the Ottawa Senators, with their Team USA Gold Medals in hand. But after a controversial visit to the White House went viral, they were greeted with a barrage of tough questions from the media. CFRA’s Chris Holski reacts to their replies.