Evidence of meeting #18 for Veterans Affairs in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Alana Hirtle Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
Okay, thank you.
In your mind—and you listed some of these things—what are the biggest obstacles for veterans to be successful business leaders?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Legacy Project
I think there are three.
Really, the big one I see is training. Training is number one. As I said, we're really the only program there that's available at no cost to veterans. That's one thing.
The second is—and we touched on it earlier—having that network of peers. You rely on that in the military, and you rely on that as an entrepreneur. I started six or seven businesses myself, and I'm a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization. That's been invaluable to me. By creating the ShopVeteran program, which we have, this brings veterans together across the country so that they can share ideas. It's there to market their businesses to all Canadians, but it's being used as that support network, which is really key.
I think the third obstacle is financial, the financial support and access to loans and grants. It's very difficult for many vets to come out and get support. I think the BDC might be one of those groups they could rely on, but without having previous experience and solid business plans, it's difficult.
Liberal
Alana Hirtle Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
All right. Thank you.
Access to capital plays a significant role in scaling the opportunity, then.
Liberal
Alana Hirtle Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
You mentioned BDC, and I think you mentioned that you're self-funded. What are the most common sources and amounts of investment required?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Legacy Project
It can be as simple as $1,000, quite frankly. We had an individual who went through our program, graduated and applied for the grant, and she was looking for $4,000 to add to her business. She had an ice cream cart business. It was as simple as that. That was going to get her a hot dog roller. That hot dog roller doubled her business. Imagine that. She's not a drain on anyone. She's paying her taxes. She's becoming.... As opposed to being supported by VAC, she's now supporting herself.
Liberal
Alana Hirtle Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
That's amazing. Thank you.
What kinds of supports did you access when you started out, and were there gaps in that as well?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Legacy Project
It was trial and error. I've been an entrepreneur since I was 14. I have always worked for myself.
What I have found, as I mentioned, was that EO, or the Entrepreneurs' Organization, was huge for me. It allowed me to become part of a network of 300 different businesses and rely on them for support. If I needed something—if I had an insurance question or I had employee problems or finance problems or whatever—I could lean on that group. Until I found that, I found it to be a struggle, because I was out there on my own. You're making all the decisions, and you're not so sure sometimes if you're making the right ones.
Liberal
Alana Hirtle Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
All right. That makes sense.
In my last seconds, I'll ask about the business boot camp program. Do you start with a problem or sector and then find mentors for that area, or do you put experienced mentors together with veterans to inspire them to innovate?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Legacy Project
The business boot camp is a program that's done online and run by a university professor. The whole idea is to help veterans start their own business—create a business plan and come out of that with a plan to start their own company. It's a lot of one-on-one training and then group training, and then they present their concept to the group at the end, and they are given a certificate from the business boot camp.
After that, they're able to join shopveteran.ca. That's where they have that network of support.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marie-France Lalonde
Thank you very much, Mr. Howard.
Ms. Gaudreau, you have the floor for six minutes.
Mr. Howard, Madame Gaudreau will address you in French, so make sure you have the proper translation selected, please.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's pretty incredible. I learn something every time I talk to Mr. Démétré.
As an aside, Mr. Démétré received a special commendation from the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I learned about Mr. Démétré during an interview he had with Patrice Roy, in which he highlighted what happened after his service. Not only does Patrice Roy know him well, but so does Carey Price.
Say what you will, but I think we have a concrete example of someone who is not only dedicated, but also an entrepreneur at heart.
I am truly amazed, speechless, delighted.
Mr. Démétré, after doing all this work, where did the idea to create Hero Lodge come from?
President, Hero Lodge, As an Individual
In my condition, after a 20-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces, I couldn't continue. I was dismissed and shown the door, which meant I could no longer continue. It wasn't my decision. So, that was the situation I was faced with.
As I said, I fed my beast with hunting, fishing and the outdoors. It was my partner, Cynthia, the lady dressed in white behind me, who gave me the idea of creating a hunting and fishing camp.
At first, this project seemed like a crazy idea, but at the same time, it turned out to be the most logical solution to keep me as busy as possible. It allowed me to work non-stop, believe in my project and build something from scratch. This project put me back on the right track. I was able to flourish emotionally and fill a void, for one. I was fortunate to have a wonderful partner, children and a family who supported me.
I believe that entrepreneurship can be a great escape for a veteran, allowing them to fill a void after their service. We live life at 100 miles an hour. When I was deployed, I was away from home for seven or eight months a year. I always volunteered for domestic and overseas operations. When you come to the end of such an exciting, incredible adventure and you realize that you're no longer doing anything and that it's over, it's quite difficult. I think it was a very good idea to start a business.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Madam Chair, what amazes me—you know that I am an entrepreneur myself—is that it began with him sharing his experiences. Not all veterans dare or are able to do that. What's more, having his brothers and sisters in arms read his book helps to move the process forward. That's why he gave a copy to the chair.
Was the money raised from the sale of your book really only used to launch your project?
President, Hero Lodge, As an Individual
In the early years, yes, that was the case. The book sold extremely well. A total of 20,000 copies were sold in Quebec. In the first year, through Canadian Tire alone, we sold 6,000 copies. It generated a lot of profit. That's what got us started. It still sells very well today, but much less than it used to.
We also count on the generosity of other entrepreneurs. For example, we welcomed Cyril Chauquet, a fishing enthusiast. This isn't meant as an ad for him, but when he came to Hero Lodge, he made a generous donation to come fishing with the heroes. We count on that.
We are fortunate. We have a love affair with the rest of Canada, Quebec and Alberta. I'm specifically mentioning Quebec and Alberta because they are the two main provinces that participate in Hero Lodge. We have been most successful in reaching veterans from these provinces. In addition, many entrepreneurs also help us.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I have one last question, Madam Chair.
I'm not a veteran. In civilian life, what qualities can help people become entrepreneurs when they have been in the armed forces?
President, Hero Lodge, As an Individual
The army quickly teaches us never to give up, never to let go, to believe in ourselves. To be a good entrepreneur, I think you first have to believe in your mission. You are given a mission. You create a mission. You don't give up. I think that's innate for a veteran. Never giving up is in our DNA.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
That's incredible.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marie-France Lalonde
Thank you very much, Mr. Démétré.
We will now go to Mr. Viersen for five minutes.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Howard, I have a report in front of me from the BDC, and they note that there's been an “alarming decline” in the number of Canadians who start businesses. I'm just wondering if you have seen or experienced this in your work.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Legacy Project
It's actually the opposite in regard to participation in our program. When we first started, we would have 20 per class. Now we're at the maximum, with 40 students per program. The program is just gaining steam. We're trying to offer more. If we had the funding to add another professor, we certainly would.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Okay.
The BDC notes that an “increasingly complex business environment” is one of the challenges, and that may lead to the reason more people are trying to be trained in this program.
Have you noticed an increase in business climate complexity? I'm just trying to figure out what that term might mean.