/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - BMO Financial Group and Minister Maryam Monsef to Announce New Initiative Supporting Organizations that Empower Women/

TORONTO, May 17, 2019 /CNW/ - BMO Financial Group and the Honorable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality will announce a new partnership to support not-for-profit organizations that empower women.

Following the announcement, Minister Monsef and Joanna Rotenberg will be joined by Julia Anderson, Acting Executive Director of CanWaCH, for a panel discussion on how government, business and civil society can work together to support the advancement of women in Canada.

BMO will also unveil findings from a new report that note gaps in strategic planning by not-for-profits and ways organizations can further empower women in Canada.

This event highlights BMO's commitment to economic empowerment and driving long-term systemic change to better improve the lives of women and girls in Canada and the U.S. In 2018, BMO announced $3 billion in capital would be available over three years for Canadian businesses owned by women, which will also create new jobs and strengthen communities. Additionally, BMO offers educational tools such as its website, www.bmoforwomen.com, and a podcast series, Her Money, Her Way, to help inform women on a wide array of relevant topics.

This initiative also underpins the company's sponsorship of the 2019 Women Deliver Conference.  From June 3-6, approximately more than 7,000 members of government, thought leaders and innovators will come together in Vancouver for the world's largest gender equality conference. BMO Financial Group is the first ever financial institution to sponsor this conference.

When	Tuesday May 21, 2019: 10:00 – 11:00 AM ET; media registration at 9:30 AM
Where	First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Toronto 68^th Floor, Walker Room
Who	Joanna Rotenberg, Group Head, BMO Wealth Management
	The Honorable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality
	Julia Anderson, Acting Executive Director and Senior Director of Programs and Operations, Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health (CanWaCH)
	Habiba Cooper Diallo, an award-winning writer and founder of the Women's Health Organization International

About BMO Financial Group 

Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $807 billion as of January 31, 2019, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

Contact for RSVP: Julie Smithers, Toronto, [email protected], [phone]