Founded in 2006, at the height of the Afghanistan conflict, Canada Company began its journey with the goal of providing the children of fallen soldiers access to post-secondary education. Since then, together with our Strategic and Corporate Partners, as well as donors and sponsors, Canada Company serves the men and women in our Canadian Armed Forces.
Our history demonstrates the commitment of Canada Company to ensuring Canadian military members, their families, and our veterans receive the widest support, care, and recognition they deserve.
Look back to where you have been, for a clue to where you are going
Our Beginning: 2006 to 2008
With Canada Company’s vision established, the organization successfully raised the required funds to launch the Scholarship Program. Established to provide access to post-secondary education to children of fallen soldiers, the first three recipients were awarded funding in 2008.
Canada Company also solidified their role as advocates for Canadian troops and fallen soldiers and their families by successfully lobbying for amendments to war exclusion causes in mortgage life insurance policies for military members.
Our Foundation: 2009 to 2012
With 300 members and a strong funding model, Canada Company focused their attention on building programs to improve the quality of life for Canadian military members, their families, and veterans. Over $300,000 was donated to support a range of initiatives for military members returning from deployment and to support the families of deployed men and women in uniform.
In celebration of the final rotation of Canadian Armed Forces troops returning from Afghanistan, Central and Eastern Chapters of Canada Company welcomed home soldiers. Working to provide hope and opportunity to those re-entering the Canadian workforce, the Employment Resource Centre was put into place to help veterans in their search for civilian employment.
Canada Company also proudly championed projects such as Sharing the Sacrifice to compensate employers of deployed reservists, supported camps for children of deployed parents, and participated in Captains of Industry events to educate civilian leaders on military exercises.
Our Development: 2013 to 2014
At over 500 donors strong, Canada Company continued to support local recognition and celebration events, including Ringside for Heroes and the Annual Military Ski Day.
With the shared goal to recognize those who served in Afghanistan, Canada Company took the lead in the administration of the LAV III Monument Program with the Government of Canada and General Dynamics Land Systems Canada. By special invitation, Canada Company also contributed to an international commemoration ceremony for Op Husky.
Working to build a bridge between business and community leaders and the Canadian Armed Forces, Canada Company created the Top Military Friendly Employer Award. Having advocated for the job security of deployed reservists, Canada Company proudly celebrated the launch of the Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program by the Canadian government.
Canada Company donated over $50,000 to help children of fallen soldiers access special support services and continued to play a driving force behind support programs, such as Project Hero.
Our Growth: 2015 to 2017
In 2017, Canada Company celebrated ten years with the 10th anniversary of the Scholarship Program. With year over year growth, membership climbed to 685 donors by 2017.
Through generous support from members, donors, and sponsors, Canada Company was able to expand the Scholarship Program to include children of military members who took their own lives as attributed to military service. At that time, we also achieved a Four-Star Charity rating by Charity Intelligence based on our many successful programs and strong fundraising ratio.
Building Strong Programs
Through the success of the Military Employment Transition (MET) Program, Canada Company continued to advocate and support veterans in their search for civilian employment. A partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) allowed Canada Company to provide a higher level of support for the military members and their spouses.
Averaging three hires a day, the MET Program welcomed more employers and expanded to include the MET Spouse program. Canada Company launched the MET Pathfinder matchmaking app to support military members, veterans, spouses, and civilian employers in their search for employment.
Fostering Exchange and Education
Canada Company continued to foster meaningful exchange between the Canadian Armed Forces and the corporate world through national and regional events. In 2016, the first group of Top Military Friendly Employers in Canada was recognized. Strategic Knowledge Exchange events brought military and civilian leaders together to discuss topics of common interest, including the 2016 Defence Policy Review Outreach.
Working with the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC), Canada Company contributed to the development of a guide on military culture and competencies. Canada Company also leveraged our resources to educate civilians on military matters through events that encouraged participants to share their experiences, including taking part in the Collaborative Spirit Exercises.
Canada Company donated over $50,000 to military family centres and over $100,000 to support various activities and benevolent funds across Canadian military units and regiments. In addition, Canada Company sponsored celebration and recognition events and campaigns for military members and their families across our different Chapters.
Our Accomplishments
Looking back at the many accomplishments of Canada Company, it’s clear the future of our organization is strong. Since 2006, Canada Company has grown in members, served our Canadian military members, their families, and our veterans through many programs and education initiatives. Canada Company has established itself as an influential voice advocating for our troops at home and abroad.
Like many other projects championed by Canada Company, the accomplishments of the MET Program served as a proof of concept for fully funded government services to support our veterans. Furthermore, the Government of Canada, supported by Veterans Affairs, has now launched the Military Transition Services, leading to the closure and transfer of all aspects of the MET Program.