Dear supporters and friends,

To start the year off, our managing director, LCol (ret’d) Marie Claire Ouellette, spoke at an event in January to brief the Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs) leadership team on two Canada Company programs that are in place for them:

• Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers Bursary Program that provides 10 bursaries per year to JCRs to use towards vocational opportunities
• A financial support program that offers funding to JCRs located in remote and isolated regions of Canada

In February, we hosted a few of our long-time strategic partners at the Garrison Ball in Toronto where HMCS York, a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division, celebrated its 100^th anniversary in style. It was a wonderful time filled with great food, dancing, and the fantastic music of the RCN Reserve Band.

On the first day of March, we hosted a successful Strategic Knowledge Exchange on housing with industry leaders and leaders from the Canadian Armed Forces. We discussed the difficulties civilians and military members are having finding housing, and solutions that could help both groups. There will be follow-up exchanges in the coming months.

Our new Grief Reconciliation™ Training: Standing Strong in the Face of Life’s Adversities has been extremely well received by military members at CFB Comox, BC, and CFB Petawawa, ON. The 2-day workshops help equip those who are at high risk of experiencing injury, loss, or secondary trauma, with the knowledge, skills, and practical steps to deal with the challenges they may face day-to-day. Congratulations Dr. Jan Hatanaka for spearheading this initiative.

We invite you to check out this feature article from the Canadian Army Journal to learn more about the program and see some of the promising results so far: Proactive approach to reconciling grief paves a path to resilience for the Canadian Army.

If you’re looking for some spring reading, our education program, Je Me Souviens, has released new articles to educate students and the public about Canada’s military history:

A priority over the next few years is to expand our national footprint by recruiting new Directors and Chapter Presidents in the western, prairie, and maritime provinces. This year, we will start with Calgary, Alberta. This will help foster more engagement as well as support more activities and events across the country.

Building on our mission to support CAF members and their families through our expansive network of Canadian leaders has revealed a need to refresh our brand to align with these upcoming changes.

As an enduring bridge between the military and the Canadian public, our events build meaningful connections for increasing awareness and knowledge of the Canadian Armed Forces’ value and impact:

• Connecting CAF members and business leaders to collaborate on matters of common interest and positively impact Canada’s future.
• Connecting CAF members to the Canadian public with opportunities to ensure their sacrifices and contributions are recognized, understood, and appreciated.
• Connecting CAF members and their families to services and assistance to improve their lives and wellbeing.

Stay tuned for more updates.

As always, we would like to thank the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces who are serving the country, and our veterans. We are grateful today and every day for your sacrifices and will ensure they never go unnoticed. We also thank our strategic and corporate partners who help make our events and initiatives possible.

And finally, but never lastly, we’d like to thank all our donors for your continued support. Thanks to you, Canada Company will always be here to provide Many Ways to Serve those who serve for our country.

Best wishes,