Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. We have found that a disproportionate number of women veterans—25%—are interested in adding entrepreneurship to their post-release life, whether that is a part-time business or full-time business, and incorporating it in some way. We have found that, with the educ

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for having us here once again today. Over the past 11 years, we have been collaborating with Veteran Affairs Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces, helping transitioning members and veterans bridge the gap between military service and civilian life. For those unfamilia

Veterans Affairs committee  It's called BuyVeteran.CA. It is a listing of hundreds of veteran-owned businesses. The magic of the directory is that it does come alive during Remembrance Week, when we have the Buy Veteran campaign, which we use to change the narrative and provide an alternate way to talk abou

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. That's a really important question because peer-reviewed research and also our own personal experience say that we need to engage people before they release. It is too late after. The horse has left the barn for some people. Veterans Affairs has a hard time keeping t

Veterans Affairs committee  Our program model takes an ecosystem approach. Nothing we do is linear. Nothing we do is...you can take just once, because starting a business really is holistic. We also engage hundreds of volunteers. One of the ways we do that is through networking events and speed networking

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. This is why we exist. There was a great need in 2012. We put about 550 people through every year. That number is based on a number that VAC shared earlier on January 30, which is that of the 8,500 people transitioning, 4,500 are interested in pursuing a second caree

Veterans Affairs committee  “Hello, I'm a current member of the Canadian Armed Forces and I want to start my own business in my hometown. I was directed to your website and I'm looking for some information to start a plan and help me move forward. I want to know what you guys can offer.” That's it.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. Thank you, everyone, for inviting us here today. I will be providing an overview and then yielding time to our two program ambassadors who are with us today. At Prince’s Trust Canada, we believe that a sustainable future depends on our social, economic and environm