Status of Women Committee on April 9th, 2014

[Dr. Catherine Elliott]

In terms of how we get to it, we need more role models, which Dr. Konrad also mentioned. We need more role models and mentors who can be sponsors within a corporate environment in particular, so not just mentors who can provide psychosocial support, but also sponsors who can provide career support; in other words, make sure women think about how they can progress to leadership levels within the organization.

How do we get there? That's the good question.

Related to the entrepreneurship domain, I think attached to the women's enterprise centres we could have a national mentoring strategy as well for women entrepreneurs.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I appreciate that.

You mentioned earlier that we haven't had a national study. Would you like to make a recommendation about that?

[Dr. Catherine Elliott]

Absolutely. Yes. Thank you.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

What would be the specific recommendation?

[Dr. Catherine Elliott]

In terms of this topic we're looking at today, which is women's prosperity and economic leadership, it can take a pretty broad brush there and do a focus on women.

We have some data we've collected through StatsCan, Industry Canada, and all different places, but it would be nice to be able to tease out specific gender focus on everything.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

So you would like that national study with gender-specific data. Thank you.

Ms. Gale, can you give us the three greatest challenges you have seen? You've already mentioned access to financing, recruiting, and work-life balance.

Would there be recommendations you would like to make?

[Gina Gale]

On those? I think I'm going to have to get back to you on that one. I'd like to give that some more thought, because I think that's a very important point.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

That's fair enough.

Dr. Konrad, what are your three biggest challenges, and three recommendations you would like to make to the committee, please?

[Dr. Alison M. Konrad]

I would agree that work-life balance is one of the biggest challenges. Young women today are less willing to sacrifice family for career, so it's going to be more important that senior leadership positions be structured so that senior leaders at the very top of business firms can be present for their families.

I've talked to senior women who have said, in thinking about it, that they could job share. These are EVPs, executive vice-presidents.

What this committee could do is identify some best practice models. I know there are companies that have part-time management positions so that ambitious professionals can, for several years, be very present for their families but still move up in the career based on the quality of their work rather than the quantity of face time in the workplace. This kind of breaking down the rigid career structure is going to be critically important.

I think what this committee could do is hold forth a few best practice models, and encourage business to go in this direction.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

So on work-life balance the recommendation is to provide the best practices to look at how you break down the models.

[Dr. Alison M. Konrad]

Yes, and we know that these kinds of flexibility options move more women into leadership positions, and they are beneficial for careers of parents, so it's a fair as well as an effective way of moving women into more leadership.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Is there another challenge and another recommendation you would like to mention to the committee, please?

[Dr. Alison M. Konrad]

I would say the image of women in leadership needs to be made positive. As many positive images of women in leadership as can be put out into the public consciousness is very essential for creating a more positive reaction.

Women are still not quite 50% of our students in our business school, and there is no need for that. There is so much desire for female talent in all areas of business, so encouraging young women....

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

What would you recommend?

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Thank you very much, both of you. You've been great.

Let's go to Ms. Crockatt, for five minutes, please.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I was really captivated, and I'm stealing the thunder of my colleague here, who at the same time was noticing the stat about one in four female entrepreneurs in Canada not having been born here. I'm wondering what you've noticed about the entrepreneurial nature of our immigrant women that we could learn from and that we could perhaps engender in Canadians who were born here.

[Shereen Benzvy Miller]

Probably the people who are focused more on sociology would be able to give you the answer to the second part of that question, which is what we could do to actually create that dynamic within our own culture.

I do think that when people immigrate they look at the opportunities that are available to them, for example, government programs that can help with financing. BDC's programs, for example, or the targeted regional programs that ACOA or most regional development agencies have, partner with the various immigration welcoming groups to help entrepreneurs of all sectors, including entrepreneurs from foreign jurisdictions, to actually find their way into entrepreneurship in Canada. Also, people do come with various high-level degrees and expertise from other jurisdictions, which they then want to apply in entrepreneurial settings here in Canada, in engineering and other fields.

We find they bring that with them when they come here, so it isn't necessarily something specific to having been born elsewhere. It's just interesting that in Canada we are encouraging women from all kinds of backgrounds to apply themselves in this area.

One of the interesting statistics that came to me in preparation for this was that the share of female majority-owned firm owners who are over the age of 65 has nearly doubled in the last four years. That's another statistic that's of interest, because women are tending to start businesses later and are actually interested in pursuing entrepreneurship later in life.

One of the things we can do when we look at an entrepreneurship strategy for women is to look at how we can encourage women in all different stages of life, for instance, ones who may be free of the child care burden because the kids have left the household, to actually pursue entrepreneurship and not create artificial barriers based on age or age limitations.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Maybe I could ask the same question to the entrepreneur who is here.

You made a comment that I thought was fascinating, that entrepreneurs are a bit of a different breed. What is that breed? What's the royal jelly? What do you think you need to see in other women? What's the spark you had that got you into business?

[Julia Fournier]

I can speak about myself uniquely. I'm a twin, and my twin was very successful at a very early age, a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada. I think that kind of propelled me to be as successful as I could be fairly quickly.

I was always a salesperson, probably from about the age of 16 or 17, in retail. That was my thing. I think as a result, I understood revenue; I understood profit; I understood a profit and loss statement; I understood different aspects of business. I think that's kind of the foundation of business: really top-line revenue, and subsequently, profitability.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

This is interesting, because I'm a twin too. Did being a twin make you feel you were competitive, and other girls don't have that same opportunity?

[Julia Fournier]

I have twins. I'm also a single mother of twins. So there you go.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Is there something about competitiveness that we need to learn? What would you put that down to?

[Julia Fournier]

I think there is a dynamic with twins, honestly. Baby A and baby B; you probably know it. I'm a baby A, and I have a baby A, and I can see that competitive nature in my twins.

I think if you're an entrepreneur you're probably more competitive than most, which means that if you're skiing you want to win, and if you are doing certain things, even if you're not competing, you want to cross the finish line first. I think there is a big dynamic associated with that with entrepreneurs. I see that every day. You're in business to win revenue and ultimately win business.

I just want to say one more thing, because I don't want to lose the opportunity to say it. I want you guys to look at the Minority Business Development Agency in the U.S., and I also want to give you a little story with respect to my experience.

I have two competitors in the Canadian market that are actually U.S.-owned enterprises, 100% male-owned enterprises, that are providing exclusive services to three major banks, fortunately one of which is not BDC and another is not Laurentian Bank and not National Bank.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Julia Fournier]

I say that because I think one of the things that I would really like to see you help major organizations in Canada with is buying Canadian, first and foremost.

Eleven per cent board representation in the Canadian market—