Supporting women entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses and access global markets generates growth, creates jobs, and will be key for an inclusive global economic recovery.
MP Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, co-hosted the Canada-Sweden Ideas Roundtable on March 2 with Anna Hallberg, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs.
“Women entrepreneurs are leading the way for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery in Canada and Sweden and around the world,” Ng said. “We’re thrilled to work with Sweden on advancing gender equality and collaborating to support women entrepreneurs and remove barriers to their success.”
The ministers listened to the women entrepreneurs, who shared their expertise and experience in innovative sectors, such as artificial intelligence and cleantech. They discussed the challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs as both countries work toward an economic recovery that is sustainable and inclusive, and the ministers committed to working together to support women entrepreneurs in both countries.
During the roundtable, Ng outlined Canada’s work to advance gender equality by removing barriers to women’s participation in trade, including through the adoption of the trade and gender recommendation in the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Minister Ng also highlighted Canada’s commitment to helping women entrepreneurs succeed, which includes an investment of nearly $5 billion in direct financing and dedicated support for women entrepreneurs under the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES).
It is a priority of the federal government to ensure that free trade agreements include trade and gender chapters and other inclusive provisions.
