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A Liberal cabinet minister publicly faltered under scrutiny for the second time in as many weeks.

Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight was unable to answer basic questions about her department's $79-million program to combat veteran homelessness during a Commons committee hearing last week.

No Results, Just More Talk

Watch as I ask simple, straightforward questions about the results of the Liberals’ Veterans Employment Strategy and Veterans Homelessness Strategy — and the Minister fails to answer even the most basic ones.

These programs have been running for 1.5… pic.twitter.com/93kKZ7tVR0

— 🇨🇦 Blake Richards 🇨🇦 (@BlakeRichardsMP) October 21, 2025

McKnight's bizarre appearance at the House of Commons veterans affairs committee saw Conservative MP Blake Richards stump her on whether her veterans employment program had hired a single veteran.

Awkward silence followed his request for an update on the 2023 Veteran Homelessness Program's progress.

“Do you know how many homeless veterans there were in 2023 versus how many there are now?” Richards asked. McKnight said nothing, flipping through her binder until staff pointed to her prepared notes. Reading verbatim, she replied, “Simply put, one homeless veteran is one too many.”

McKnight admitted the department still uses 2021 census data, predating the program's start. She stated new information would follow the 2026 Census.

“In April 2023 you put out a strategy,” Richards shot back. “Two and a half years later you’re telling me the data you have is from 2021? So you have no way of knowing whether what you’re doing is working.”

Minister @VeteransEng_Ca blanks out under routine questioning of signature $79M program on homeless vets. @JMcKnightDelta is 8th Minister of Veterans Affairs in 6 years: "Do you know?"  https://t.co/gFyUuJvtIP #cdnpoli @VetsOmbudsman pic.twitter.com/YVrPHHnBkM

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) October 23, 2025

Blacklock's reported that an internal June 13 briefing note, Veteran Homelessness, estimated "approximately 2,000 veterans experienced homelessness across Canada throughout a calendar year," down from 2,400 in 2023. However, McKnight's department, which produced the note, stated that McKnight was unaware of the numbers.

McKnight was appointed the eighth Minister of Veterans Affairs in six years on May 13.

Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel remains eerily silent after a question from Rebel News publisher @EzraLevant about the hundreds of ostriches set to be culled in B.C. pic.twitter.com/WW8z57cKQh

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) October 17, 2025

Her performance follows last week’s viral moment from Health Minister Marjorie Michel, who went silent after Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant questioned her about B.C.'s mass ostrich cull. Levant posted on X that a handler "totally undermined her" before she could speak.

Different minister, same blank stare — reinforcing the notion that this government requires a handler to articulate its functions.