Ottawa, November 15, 2010 — Today, the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), issued the following statement to kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week in Canada:
"From November 15 to 21, countries around the world will be celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week. I would like to thank all Canadian entrepreneurs who have helped our country rise above the challenges faced during the recession and moved us toward economic recovery and growth.
"Our government is proud to support these incredible entrepreneurs. By embracing innovation and supporting the development of new business ideas, we are partnering with them to ensure our country's economic success.
"Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, our government provided support to small business by lowering taxes, cutting red tape and increasing access to financing. Our Action Plan boosted the Canadian Youth Business Foundation's budget by $10 million in support of mentorship and seed capital for young entrepreneurs. It also created the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program, which will help kick start businesses by allowing them the opportunity to test and commercialize new product offerings using the federal government as a customer.
"To ensure that the concerns of small businesses continue to be heard, we also created the Advisory Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. This private sector committee was created to provide the government with advice on how to further improve business access to federal programs and information.
"As the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, I look forward to working with Canadian entrepreneurs as they develop new ways to stay innovative, inspired and globally competitive."
For further information (media only), please contact:
Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-7023
613-668-5406 (cell)
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
