For immediate release
OTTAWA, Ontario, October 14, 2012 – The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, is pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of small and medium enterprises during Small Business Week.
From October 14 to 20, Small Business Week will feature events and activities across Canada to celebrate entrepreneurship at the local, provincial and national levels. This year’s theme is Aim High! Invest in your Future. For 33 years, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has been organizing Small Business Week in recognition of the contributions and achievements of Canada’s entrepreneurs.
“Small and medium businesses make up the fabric of our economy and our Government is proud to support them, and committed to helping them succeed,” said Minister Ambrose. “Small Business Week provides Canadians with an opportunity to celebrate the significant contributions of small and medium businesses to the Canadian economy.”
Public Works and Government Services Canada supports Canadian businesses through its Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME), whose mandate is to help small and medium enterprises access government procurement opportunities.
OSME also manages the successful Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP). Launched in 2010, the CICP was created to help Canadian businesses by testing their innovative products and services within the Government of Canada before they go to the marketplace. Federal departments test innovations that fall within four key areas: environment; health; safety and security; and enabling technologies. For the complete list of pre-qualified innovations, please refer to the CICP website.
To build on the success of this program, Economic Action Plan 2012 allocated an additional $95 million over three years, starting in 2013–14, and $40 million per year thereafter to make the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program permanent. The program will include an added military procurement component.
During Small Business Week, OSME will participate in the Business, Government Services and You Information Fair in Ottawa on October 18, 2012.
More information on OSME’s programs is available at https://buyandsell.gc.ca/.
-30-
Ce texte est également disponible en français.
For more information, media may contact:
Amber Irwin
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
819-997-5421
Media Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315
PWGSC news releases are also available on our Internet site at http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/medias-media/index-eng.html.
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PWGSC_TPSGC.
