Canadian Army highlights benefits of hiring reservists

Alberta is home to roughly 1,700 members of the Canadian Army reserves.

Those reservists train several times a month and can be deployed in times of disaster.

"We have nine units spread out across the province, from Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton," said Col. Christopher Hunt, commander of the Alberta-based 41 Canadian Brigade.

"The army reserve is a part-time professional component of the Canadian Army. Our soldiers serve from their communities."

Because these reservists are part-time, most will need to find other work.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Forces says the training they have received makes reservists leaders in the workplace and ideal candidates for many jobs.

"Reservists are fantastic for employers because they bring very special skills that they obtain in the military, such as leadership," said Carolyn Patton, the Alberta chair for the Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

"What they learn in the workplace they also bring back to the military. So it's a win-win situation."

While some businesses may be hesitant to hire reservists due to the fact they could be called away from work for extended periods of time, the federal government has set up a grant to help cover the costs of temporarily replacing a reservists who has been called away to help alleviate any concerns.

"Sometimes reservists need to deploy and that can be challenging for employers, so what's available is a federal grant and it's called CERP, Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program," Patton said.

"It can help backfill that position while the reservist deploys."

The Canadian Army is also reminding potential employers that reservists do have a say in when and where they're deployed; baring a major conflict or disaster reservists have to volunteer to be deployed.

"For both domestic and expeditionary operations, they're trained up to a certain level of readiness, but they have to volunteer for operations, so it also people to balance with their other civilian and career commitments," Col. Hunt said.