Minister Ng visits Montréal as part of cross-country tour for Small Business Week 2018
MONTRÉAL, Oct. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. They are the restaurants, stores and services we love, as well as the high-growth companies that create middle-class jobs. Small Business Week is a time to recognize the contributions of small businesses to our communities and our economy.
The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, was in Montréal today, as part of her cross-Canada tour, to meet with small business owners and youth entrepreneurs.
The Minister began her day by meeting with social entrepreneurs at Credo, an organization that helps companies and groups maximize their positive social and environmental impact.
Minister Ng then participated in a panel on youth entrepreneurship at Montréal's Centre for Technological Entrepreneurship (Centech), one of Canada's most important incubators for tech start-ups.
She was joined there by Richard Hébert, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion and Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Jean; Nathon Kong, owner of Nathon Kong; Raphael Christian-Roy, Pan-Canadian Managing Director & Co-Founder of Front Row Ventures. Selena Lu, President of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, moderated the discussion.
Minister Ng wrapped up her Montréal tour at Unito Inc., a project management software firm, where she announced an investment on behalf of Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
The Government of Canada is proud to celebrate Small Business Week 2018. By providing support to small businesses, the government is helping grow the economy and create good middle-class jobs.
Quotes
"This is a small-business-friendly government that is working hard to reduce red tape and make it easier for small business owners in Quebec to start up, scale up and access new markets. When Canadian small businesses succeed, our economy grows and middle-class jobs are created."
– 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%. They employ just under 70% of the private sector workforce (8 million Canadians).
- Our government is lowering the small business tax rate to 9% in 2019, putting up to $7,500 back into Canadian small business owners' pockets annually. This small business tax rate is the lowest of all G7 countries.
- To help small businesses find funding, advice and information, the Government of Canada launched Innovation Canada, an online one-stop shop for business owners.
- Small businesses account for almost 18% 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. They include the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Associated links
- Innovation and Skills Plan
- Canadian Trade Commissioner Service
- CanExport
- Accelerated Growth Service
- Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
- Innovative Solutions Canada
- Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative
- Women Entrepreneurship Strategy
- Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
- Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA
Follow @CanadaBusiness on social media for business-related news: Twitter, Facebook
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]
Share this article