WBE Canada secures funding from WES to fast track Women Entrepreneurs in corporate and government Supply Chains

TORONTO, March 16, 2023 /CNW/ - WBE Canada's Women's Day Celebrations held virtually in front of an audience of 500+ yesterday, March 8 2023 got off to a very exciting start as the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announced that WBE Canada has been awarded funding from the WES Ecosystem Fund from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) at ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada). 

"This International Women's Day, we're celebrating the incredible talent and achievements of women and the concrete action our government is taking to make sure every woman counts. Time and again, Canadian women have proven themselves to be hard-working and dedicated entrepreneurs, yet many still face barriers to reaching their full entrepreneurship potential. Today's announcement marks another big step toward ending gender bias and helping women from all walks of life bring their talents and skills to market for the benefit of all Canadians."

– The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) works with Canadians in all areas of the economy and in all parts of the country to improve conditions for investment, enhance Canada's innovation performance, increase Canada's share of global trade and build a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace. The Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) aims to increase women-owned businesses' access to the financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start up, scale up and access new markets.  As announced by Minister Ng, the WES Ecosystem Fund focuses on supporting not-for-profit organizations who provide business support for women entrepreneurs to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada. The fund prioritizes projects in areas of strength for women, as well as projects providing services to women entrepreneurs in rural and remote areas of the North.

In partnership with researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Calgary, WBE Canada will utilize WES funding to expand its current work to help reduce the barriers that prevent Canada's diverse suppliers and especially women-owned entrepreneurs from accessing supply chains and thereby contributing to the economic growth in local and regional, as well as Canada wide communities. WBE Canada will be reaching out to its membership community as well as partner organizations to compile relevant information  from supply chains in Canada and share newly developed tools and recommendations with the buyer and supplier communities.

"This support will create a much needed boost to our existing efforts and create a lasting impact on the Canadian women business community and we greatly appreciate it," said Silvia Pencak, President & CEO, WBE Canada during her remarks at the 2023 Women's Day event hosted by WBE Canada. "I want to recognize our partners who will be working closely with us on this project - University of Manitoba and University of Calgary. The journey ahead of us is long, ISED support means a lot."

About WBE Canada
Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) is a Canadian nonprofit organization with a  mandate to empower and facilitate the success of women-owned businesses with equitable access within  supply chains to drive innovation, social value and economic growth in communities across Canada. We have a  fast-growing network of over 500 certified Canadian Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and 66 Corporate  Members - organizations that are committed to supplier diversity. WBE Canada's core values are Leadership,  Innovation and Integrity. Our key activities include accelerating supplier diversity, development and maintenance of the Canadian WBE database and empowerment of women-owned businesses. Our network  represents women-owned businesses of all sizes, backgrounds, categories, industries and intersectionalities  (BIPOC, 2sLGBTQ+, etc.). We connect WBEs to companies and organizations in automotive, construction,  finance, food & beverage, government, tech, telecom and other sectors. 

About University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba is western Canada's first university, established in 1877. The University serves  more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. From 2006-2009, its supply chain management  (SCM) department, led by its Head, Dr. Paul D. Larson, developed and wrote a new C.P.P. curriculum for the  Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC). Since then, the C.P.P. has been re-labeled SCMP, and  PMAC is now Supply Chain Canada. 

About University of Calgary
The University of Calgary was established in 1944 as the Calgary Campus of the University of Alberta and  instituted into a separate autonomous university in 1966. The campus hosts fourteen faculties, 55  departments, and 85 research institutes and centers. Twelve research centres are hosted within the Haskayne  School of Business, including the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business, the Hunter Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Canadian Centre for Advanced Supply Chain Management and Logistics. 

SOURCE WBE Canada

Media inquiries: Alexandra Roy, Marketing Manager, Email: [email protected], Phone: [phone]