Minister Ng and Prime Minister Trudeau attend SheEO virtual event for International Women’s Day

News release

March 8, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of women in communities across Canada. Canada’s women entrepreneurs are essential to our economy, and the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that our recovery from this pandemic is a feminist, inclusive one that supports their success.

Today, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, marked International Women’s Day by virtually participating in SheEO’s virtual summit along with Naysan Saran, Co-founder and CEO of CANN Forecast, and Teara Fraser, CEO of Iskwew Air.

The event, hosted by SheEO, a Toronto-based not-for-profit and a national Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund recipient, brought together women who are redefining the future of business for a meaningful discussion on women’s economic empowerment. Minister Ng spoke about Canada’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day—Canada’s Feminist Response and Recovery—and highlighted that an inclusive recovery from COVID-19 is essential for advancing gender equality and providing economic and social stability for all Canadians.

Women have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, which is why an additional $15 million investment was made in the WES Ecosystem Fund to provide timely support and advice to women entrepreneurs facing hardship due to the pandemic. The WES Ecosystem Fund is part of Canada’s first-ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a nearly $5 billion cross-government initiative that aims to increase women-owned businesses’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise.

The Government of Canada will continue to support women entrepreneurs and ensure this pandemic does not turn the clock back on women entrepreneurs.

Quotes

“I am consistently impressed by Canadian women entrepreneurs, not only by their accomplishments and contributions to our economy, but also by their drive and resilience. Our government is committed to being there for women entrepreneurs, listening to their needs, and developing and adapting support measures as needed. We will continue our efforts to ensure that the gains women have made in recent years are not lost to the pandemic.” 
- The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade

“In the past year the SheEO community doubled the number of Ventures we fund, in what was a very, very difficult year for women, completely due to the radical generosity of our community of Activators and the determination and ingenuity of our Ventures. The Summit gathered more than 2,000 women from over 30 countries to hear from elders, innovators and leaders who are building back better for the benefit of all.”
- Vicki Saunders, Founder of SheEO

Quick facts

  • The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) is a nearly $5 billion investment that aims to increase women-owned businesses’ access to the financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start up, scale up and access new markets. In the fall 2020 Speech from the Throne, the government committed to accelerating the work of the WES, which has already helped women across Canada grow their businesses.

  • In May 2020, the Government of Canada also provided $15 million in new funding to the WES Ecosystem Fund, enabling existing recipient organizations to provide women entrepreneurs with access to urgent business support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • SheEO is a recipient of the WES Ecosystem Fund. The organization received $2.5 million in funding in 2018 to expand its existing programs and services across Canada to help women entrepreneurs access non-traditional financing, along with customized training. It also received over $600,000 in COVID-19 top-up funding in 2020 to revamp its existing engagement and learning strategies to pivot towards a sustainable virtual medium.

Contacts

Youmy Han
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
343-551-0246
youmy.han@international.gc.ca

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Stay connected

Follow @CanadaBusiness on social media for business-related news: Twitter, Facebook

Page details

Date modified: