Minister Ng closed the Women Entrepreneurship Conference and met with Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub partners
Ottawa: The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the success of women entrepreneurs and business owners through the COVID-19 pandemic and in an inclusive economic recovery.
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, alongside the Honourable Mona Fortier, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, met with Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub partners to discuss the state of women entrepreneurship in 2021.
The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub—a three-year, $8.62-million program—is part of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. In advancing research, gathering statistics and sharing best practices, the hub is creating a one-stop shop for the information, tools and resources women entrepreneurs need to succeed.
Both ministers focused on how the Government of Canada is working to remove systemic barriers to women entrepreneurship and helping women reach their business goals.
It is estimated that increasing women’s participation in the economy could add up to $150 billion to Canada’s GDP. The Government of Canada continues to advance women’s economic empowerment with the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), a nearly $5‑billion cross-government initiative to increase women-owned businesses’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise.
The government invested an additional $15 million in the WES Ecosystem Fund to provide timely support and advice to women entrepreneurs facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Ng also participated in a session on the state of women entrepreneurship in 2021 at the Women Entrepreneurship Conference, a month-long event series presented by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub in partnership with Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada.
The conference brought together leading researchers, policy-makers, government representatives, women entrepreneurs and other key ecosystem stakeholders to better understand the challenges women entrepreneurs face and to discuss the best ways to build inclusivity into the pandemic recovery.
As Canada addresses the pandemic and steps forward on the road to recovery, the Government of Canada will continue to support women—especially women entrepreneurs—every step of the way.