Mr. Chairman and committee members, thank you for inviting us here today.
I was medically released from the CAF in July 2020, following 22 years of service. I suffered a traumatic brain injury in December 2016, and during the initial part of my recovery, I was diagnosed with a rare debilitating and progressive genetic condition. The cumulative effects of my medical situation resulted not only in medical and physical deficits, but in a complete loss of self and community, and a sense of institutional abandonment and betrayal.
In 2018, when I was told that I was being medically released, I panicked. I had no idea what I was going to do. I joined the military when I was 17. I grew up in the CAF and didn't know any different. I'm an environmental engineer by academic training, with a unique specialty that I thought only rendered my skills attractive to employers within DND, the RCMP or companies that produced military equipment solutions.
I've always had a passion for horticulture, and I've curated an extensive rare tropical plant collection. My friend convinced me to consider turning this passion into an avenue of self-employment.
Enter the Prince's Trust Canada.
Over the course of a one-day orientation and a seven-day entrepreneurial boot camp, I decided that starting a business was what I wanted to do. The operation entrepreneur program showed me that I had skills that would directly translate into my own successful business. They were skills that were innate and skills that were trained into people who have successful military careers. These skills include leadership, time management, project management, effective written and oral communication, task delegation and budgeting, just to name a few.
The Prince's Trust Canada provided me with the supplemental training, mentorship and, most importantly, confidence to turn an idea into a business. In June 2019, Sweetlife Flora, an e-commerce shop for tropical plants and plant care products, was opened.
Owning my own business has maintained my sense of purpose, and I found a community of like-minded people in both the entrepreneurship and plant enthusiast spaces. It took me years to realize how unhealthy the CAF environment was, specifically as a woman, due to normalized toxic masculinity and the ingrained acceptance of misogynistic behaviour.
Many women leaving the military lack the confidence to start their own business, oftentimes because of systematic mistreatment. The transitional training offered by the Prince's Trust Canada, for me, has been life-affirming, and I believe women veterans need this program to truly understand their full potential for a successful transition.
Thank you very much.