National Defence Commits Another $150,000 For Transcendental Meditation For Sexual Misconduct Survivors

Subhead:A charity that teaches the trademarked Transcendental Meditation technique has now received $541,743 from National Defence and Veterans Affairs since 2019.#

National Defence has committed $150,000 to a Vancouver charity for transcendental meditation (TM) sessions for members of the Defence community affected by sexual misconduct, Rebel News can reveal.

The grant appears in National Defence’s proactive disclosure of grants for the second quarter of 2026-27 and runs from September 1, 2026, to September 1, 2029. 

The record states, “This project delivers in-person transcendental meditation (TM) sessions to currently serving and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Department of National Defence employees, Reservists, Veterans, families, caregivers, and others in the wider Defence community affected by sexual misconduct.”

The recipient is listed as “Canadian Women for Wellness Initative” [sic], business number 730508728. The charity’s home page says its purpose “is to provide access to the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique,” and its website notes that “Transcendental Meditation® and TM® are protected trademarks and are used in Canada under license or with permission.” Deboragh Varnel, its national director, is described as a certified TM teacher.

It is the charity’s second National Defence grant under the same title. The department gave it $224,928 from February 2023 to February 2026, and Veterans Affairs Canada paid it $48,715 in 2019 and $118,100 in 2021 for TM for veterans. The four grants total $541,743.