Bell Canada joins the federal government's Hire a Veteran program

• Priority to be given to qualified Canadian Veterans in hiring across Bell operations
• Bell's commitment builds on a century of support for our nation's military

MONTREAL, Nov. 11, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced that it has joined the federal government's Hire a Veteran initiative and will give qualified Canadian Veterans priority in hiring across Bell operations.

"Bell has a long and proud tradition of support for Canada's military men and women. With many Veterans already working at Bell, we know firsthand that they bring skills, focus and discipline to the table," said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell Canada and BCE Inc. "We're pleased to join with Minister Fantino and Veterans Affairs Canada in assisting those who have so proudly served Canada."

"I applaud Bell Canada for recognizing the value of giving priority to Canada's Veterans when they are hiring new employees," said the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs. "By joining our Hire a Veteran initiative, they are affirming what we already know—Canada's men and women in uniform are well-trained and accomplished individuals with the skills and experience to be a real asset to any organization."

The first communications company to join the Hire a Veteran program, Bell employs more than 55,000 people in every province and territory and hires thousands of new team members each year. Many of the technical and other skills Veterans acquire during their service are an asset to Bell. For instance, a number of Veterans are part of the growing team of Bell employees rolling out the next-generation Fibe TV service.

Hire a Veteran is a partnership between Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), corporate Canada and local businesses that assists Veterans of the CAF transitioning from military careers to civilian careers in the private sector. For more information on Veterans Affairs Canada's programs and services, please visit Veterans.gc.ca.

Bell Remembers
Bell will observe a traditional 2 minutes of silence at 11am today in Bell office buildings across Canada. More than 3,000 Bell employees served Canada in wartime and 188 made the supreme sacrifice. Thousands of Veterans found work at Bell on returning home after the World Wars; by 1946 more than 40% of Bell employees had served in the military.

Bell Let's Talk and the True Patriot Love Foundation have created the $1-million Bell True Patriot Love Fund to support programs delivered through Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) that improve access to mental health care for Canadian military families. For more information, please visit www.truepatriotlovefoundation.com.

About Bell
Headquartered in Montréal since our founding in 1880, Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers, business and government customers with leading TV, Internet, wireless, home phone and business communications solutions. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital media. Bell is wholly owned by Montréal's BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national charitable and awareness program promoting mental health across Canada with the Bell Let's Talk Day anti-stigma campaign and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

SOURCE: Bell Canada