Minister Ng kicks off Small Business Week

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Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

10 oct, 2018, 11:33 ET

Government of Canada recognizes contributions of small businesses to our communities and our economy

OTTAWA, Oct. 10, 2018 /CNW/ - Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. They are the restaurants, stores and services we love, and they employ millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Small Business Week is an opportunity to recognize small businesses for the important contributions they make to our communities and our economy.

In celebration of Small Business Week, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, will be travelling across Canada from October 12 to 19. The Minister will meet with local small business owners to understand the challenges they face in starting and growing their businesses and to share how the government is making it easier for businesses.

Minister Ng will begin her tour in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she will make an announcement supporting women in technology. The Minister will also tour Eigen Innovations, a women-led software company that focuses on manufacturing technologies. Following this, the Minister will participate in a roundtable hosted by Planet Hatch and hold discussions with local entrepreneurs.

The following day, the Minister will travel to Montréal to attend an event with entrepreneurs, hosted by Credo. Following this, she will participate in a panel discussion at Centech along with Richard Hébert, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, on the topic of youth entrepreneurship. The Minister will also make a funding announcement with the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions at Unito, a Montréal-based software company.

Later in the week, the Minister will be in Ottawa to celebrate small businesses and the companies that help them succeed. She will attend a small business breakfast panel hosted by Amazon; tour the offices of Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform; and provide remarks at the eBay Canada 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. While in Ottawa, the Minister will also participate in Startup Canada Day on the Hill, where she will deliver opening remarks, participate in a panel on supporting start-ups and welcome hundreds of participants.

Finally, Minister Ng will travel to Canada's west coast to meet with members of the Surrey Board of Trade and discuss ways to foster export opportunities for small business. Following this, Minister Ng will be joined in Delta, British Columbia, by the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Minister of Accessibility, in Delta, British Columbia, where she will make a major funding announcement and moderate a panel discussion on the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. The Minister will then travel to Calgary to provide remarks at the Small Business Calgary Awards Gala.

The Government of Canada is proud to celebrate Small Business Week 2018. By helping small businesses start up, scale up and access new markets, we will grow our economy and create middle-class jobs.

Quotes

"Our government is a small business–friendly government. We're working hard to make it as easy as possible for Canadian small businesses to succeed. This includes reducing the small business tax rate to 9 percent—one of the lowest in the world—and providing opportunities for small businesses to start up, scale up and access new markets. I'm thrilled to be celebrating Small Business Week with small business owners and entrepreneurs across Canada."
– The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion

Quick facts

  • Small businesses account for the vast majority of businesses in Canada—more than 98 percent. They employ just under 70 percent of the private sector workforce (8 million Canadians).
  • Our government is lowering the small business tax rate to 9 percent in 2019, putting $7,500 back into Canadian small business owners' pockets annually. This tax rate is the lowest of all G7 countries, lower than in France, Germany and even Japan.
  • To help small businesses find funding, advice and information, the Government launched Innovation Canada, a one-stop shop online destination for business owners.
  • Small businesses account for almost 18 percent of Canadian goods exported.
  • The Government is helping small businesses expand into new markets abroad—and reach over 1 billion new customers—by promoting export through the negotiation and implementation of free trade agreements, such as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Mallory Clyne, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, 343-291-3553, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]

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