Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to highlight our government's actions to create jobs for Canadian veterans.
Each year, between 4,000 and 5,000 Canadian armed forces members leave the military at an average age of 37. These people are hard-working, well trained and the very definition of team players. By working with private and public sector organizations, our Conservative government is helping veterans transition into the civilian workforce.
Earlier this afternoon I was joined by Dr. Woolf, the principal and vice-chancellor of Queen's University, to announce that Queen's University will offer priority hiring to qualified Canadian veterans. I would like to thank Queen's for its support of veterans and the program for hiring veterans. Queen's is one of the oldest, most prestigious universities in our country.
Hiring a veteran just makes sense. I strongly encourage all Canadian businesses to join us.