Claude DeBellefeuille

“Madam Speaker, with Remembrance Day now only nine days away, today we have a very important opportunity to remind Canadians that remembrance, commemoration and respect for the veterans in our communities have a place not only on November 11, but throughout the year, and for all Canadians. We owe that recognition to the women and men who have served and those who continue to serve our great country and protect our sovereignty. It is in this spirit that I rise today to address the opposition motion. Respect for veterans and support for Canadian business deserve a serious debate. By treating a single contract as a measure of our government’s respect for veterans, however, the opposition overlooks the breadth and the scale of the contribution they can make. At committee, representatives of several veterans groups and organizations told us that we need to change the narrative about our veterans. We need to talk about their skills, training, experience and all they bring all of that to the civil workforce. Many leave the military at the age of 34. This is the average age of a veteran today, with years of working life ahead of them. What do they bring with them? They bring technical expertise in fields like airspace, cybersecurity and other dual-use technologies, including drones. They are a tremendous asset in our country, particularly in those sectors where there is an acute labour shortage, yet the opposition motion focuses on their role in security services. Of course, our veterans are qualified for that work, but their opportunities extend way beyond that. They can help advance our industrial strategy, strengthen our defence industry and continue serving Canada in many different ways. That requires a lot more than a procurement decision. It requires the recognition of the skills and qualifications they acquired during their service. They need to put their expertise to work in industries that need them. That is precisely what our Minister of Veterans Affairs is working to deliver. This motion gives me the opportunity to tell Canada’s veterans about an important next step our government is taking to address today’s realities and tomorrow’s opportunities. All across Canada, companies in many sectors are seeking qualified personnel to fill key strategic positions, expand their operations, and seize new business opportunities. Over the next 10 years, 593,000 new jobs in Red Seal trades will need to be filled. Trade schools will not be able to provide enough workers. In the aerospace sector alone, it is estimated that between 42,000 and 65,000 positions will need to be filled over the next 10 years. According to one study, trade schools will only be able to meet about 25% of that demand. At the same time, nearly 8,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces leave military service each year, at an average age of 34. Today, I would like to talk about how our government can bridge the gap between these two realities. In my view, veterans represent one of the largest untapped talent pools in the country. Their hands-on experience in logistics, operations, engineering, and information technology is a valuable asset for Canada as it seeks to diversify and expand its economic relationships around the world. When they want to embark on a new career, we must give them every opportunity to put that expertise to good use. We are doing this for veterans because they have served Canada and protected our sovereignty, but we are also doing it so that they can continue to contribute to Canada. We need them. One point deserves to be highlighted. As I mentioned, today’s veterans are, on average, quite young. They are seasoned professionals whose skills are in high demand, particularly in the dual-use technology sector, referring to technology that can be used both for military purposes and in our strategic industries. In addition to their technical expertise, Canada’s veterans bring some even more highly valued assets to the table: strong leadership skills, problem-solving abilities, project management experience and a proven ability to perform under challenging and demanding conditions. Their expertise in logistics, cybersecurity, advanced technologies, human resources, finance and Red Seal trades deserves full recognition. The challenge is that these fields are not the ones that immediately come to mind when we talk about military service. My colleagues are putting a lot of focus on security services. However, by limiting veterans to jobs in this field, we are missing an extraordinary opportunity to recognize their talent and expertise in leading trades. When a person did not serve in the military themselves and is unfamiliar with the military environment, it can be difficult for them to grasp the diverse range of skills that military personnel have. We are talking about acquired skills that are essential to modern military operations. More importantly, they are completely transferable to a civilian work environment. In many cases, they are exactly the skills that employers are looking for. Canada, with our Minister of Veterans Affairs, is now taking deliberate steps to strengthen our defence industrial capacity, to invest in major projects and national development initiatives across the country, and to recognize the role that veterans can play in meeting that objective. We are living at a time when the demand for skilled workers will only continue to go grow. Last week, in Victoria, British Columbia, the Minister of Veterans Affairs announced a key initiative to encourage our veterans to contribute to our strategic defence industry following their military career. I am talking about the veteran employer recognition initiative and the new “Veteran Ready” designation, which recognizes organizations that value veterans’ skills and that will commit to helping them transition to a successful civilian career in the field of their choice. This strategy sends a clear message to veterans, staff, clients and communities: This organization recognizes the value of military service, experience and leadership. I therefore call on businesses and the general public across the country to show leadership in their local communities, raise awareness of this designation in their ridings, encourage businesses to take part in the initiative, help employers recognize the value of military experience, and help veterans find employment opportunities that match their skills.”