News Release
Commissionaires and DND Join Forces to Support Injured Veterans
Front row (L-R): Rear Admiral Andrew Smith, Chief Military Personnel,
and Paul Guindon, Chairman of Commissionaires
Back row (L-R): Rainer Haussner, Jim Britton, Lise Gallant, Colleen
Capstick, Dan Berthiaume (veterans/commissionaires)
Photo by Master-Corporal Roy McClellan, National Defence Department
Memorandum of Understanding on new “Return to Work” program signed
Ottawa, ON, November 2, 2010 – The Department of National Defence, the Canadian Forces (CF), and Commissionaires announce the signing of the Return to Work (RTW) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide employment to veterans injured in the line of duty. The MOU was signed 1 November 2010 at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our CF members,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “This new initiative will provide our men and women in uniform recovering from injuries another avenue to ensure a smooth transition back to active military service or civilian life.”
The Return to Work program is designed to assist the recovery of CF members injured as a result of their military service. Commissionaires is experienced in matching the skills and training of CF veterans by providing them with employment opportunities tailored to their individual situations. The outcome of the program is either reintegration back to their military duties in the CF, or a successful transition to a post-military career. This program equally applies to the spouses of deceased CF or Reserve personnel.
“Commissionaires is uniquely positioned to help injured military members and modern veterans get back on their feet, as it directly aligns with our social mandate,” said Paul Guindon, Chairman of Commissionaires. “Our mandate is to provide meaningful and rewarding employment opportunities to veterans within a nurturing environment; a mandate that is as relevant today as it ever has been.”
“I devoted 26 years to the Canadian Forces and entered the civilian workforce during my early 40s,” said Jim Britton, Ottawa commissionaire. “Even though I didn’t sustain any major injuries, I served with many men and women who did—and my work in Human Resources has exposed me to many more. I can personally relate to the initial challenges of transitioning back into civilian life and have witnessed first-hand the even greater challenges that injured veterans face. As a manager of the RTW program, I want to ensure these men and women are treated with dignity and respect, and also ensure they have access to meaningful work opportunities.”
Commissionaires is a private, wholly Canadian, not-for-profit national corporation led by veterans at the service of veterans. As a premier national security provider protecting people, property, assets and information, Commissionaires offers a broad spectrum of services that translates into many varied and interesting employment opportunities for their 20,000 members.
“We have a proven track record supporting injured CF members and veterans,” adds Guindon. “We’ve been doing it for decades with excellent results. CF members and modern veterans can count on Commissionaires.”
About Commissionaires
Commissionaires was founded to provide meaningful employment for former Canadian Forces and RCMP personnel. The organization has long been recognized as Canada’s premier security provider, protecting people and property for public and private sector clients from coast to coast. While employing leading-edge technology in delivering security services, Commissionaires has remained true to its roots by providing employment to those making the transition to civilian life after active service in the military and police forces. The organization also hires many reliable and responsible individuals without military or police experience. Commissionaires’ services and security solutions include: security guarding, enforcement, identification services, training and security consulting. The integrity, strong work ethic, proven skills and discipline of Commissionaires give clients confidence and security everyday, everywhere.
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For more information, please contact:
Andrée Paige
Communications & Media Relations
T 613 745 2312
C 613 863 1828
andree@thewritepaige.com
Donna D’Arcy
Commissionaires
T 416 364 4496 E 444
C 416 458 0276
ddarcy@commissionaires.ca
Additional Information and Imagery
Commissionaires and DND MOU background information.
Veterans working with Commissionaires describe their experience.
Download High Quality Broadcast MP4 of Commissionaires DND MOU b-roll
Embed this video on your website or online news site. Get the embed code.
View additional video footage of veterans working at Commissionaires.
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