Madam Chair, members of the committee, thank you for giving me the floor today.
I'm a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and an entrepreneur. I am also the founder of the Café félin Ma langue aux chats Cat Café, located at 307 Saint-Paul Street, in Quebec City. It is a site historically linked to military recruitment during the First World War. In the 1970s, it became a tavern called Le Veteran. Today, it is a space for remembering, gathering and support for veterans and the community. When I left the armed forces, I thought the toughest part was behind me. In reality, a new battle was awaiting me, the battle of entrepreneurship.
The café is also an inclusive space, which over time has become a safe space for veterans and first responders. It also focuses on social inclusion and hires people with mental health challenges, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
I chose entrepreneurship after my military service, not out of financial ambition but out of a need to rebuild. Following my service, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. I also have physical injuries to my knees, wrists, back and neck. With fibromyalgia, it's very hard to find a job. So I created my safe job. I also wanted to continue to serve. We still want to serve and protect, but in a different way. I have nonetheless faced significant obstacles on my entrepreneurship journey.
The first barrier is institutional. Entrepreneurship assistance programs are not designed to accommodate the reality of veterans. The administrative language is complex, the criteria are rigid, and support is often impersonal. When you have invisible injuries or anxiety, those steps quickly become frustrating. Many veterans give up, not for a lack of skills, but from administrative exhaustion.
The second barrier is access to financing. It is hard for companies with a social purpose such as mine to fit into traditional frameworks. A cat café focused on wellness, animal therapy and the veteran community is often seen as marginal, despite its real and measurable impact. I frequently had to move forward without a financial safety net. I use my savings and my pension to pay the café's bills at the end of the month and to support veterans by taking them out to a show or out for a meal. That comes out of my salary.
The third barrier is the mental and emotional toll of being a veteran. There is a high human cost to running a business and supporting veterans at the same time. There is currently no entrepreneurial support that truly reflects this reality.
Lastly, the regulatory and municipal challenges related to an atypical model such as a café with animals have added an additional layer of complexity, without suitable support.
Despite everything, I have been able to persevere because of the skills I learned in the Canadian Armed Forces: resilience, adaptability and a sense of duty. However, these qualities should not be a prerequisite for being able to receive the support provided to entrepreneurs.
I truly believe that veterans have tremendous entrepreneurial potential. To activate that potential, we need flexible, humane and specialized programs that are truly tailored to the realities that veterans face.
I'm not here to criticize. I'm here to improve the system so that future veterans who still want to serve their country, but as entrepreneurs this time, aren't discouraged before they even start.
Thank you for listening and for paying attention to this essential study.