Innovation Canada is part of the innovation skills plan. It's a one-stop shop for government programs and services to match Canadian innovators and entrepreneurs.
As the Minister of Small Business, I will tell you that small businesses don't always have the resources they need. They need government programs and services to work for them, and they need easy access to those programs and services so they can access those resources that are available to them. That's why we thought that a one-stop shop would help them better utilize those programs.
When it comes to work-integrated learning and the importance of skills development, entrepreneurship is going to be a huge part of the economy of tomorrow. We need to ensure that our young people understand entrepreneurship. We need to make sure that more women are considering entrepreneurship and that more under-represented groups take entrepreneurship more seriously.
That's why you see the work that the BDC, the Business Development Bank of Canada, is doing. They've done a better job of actually tracking where the money and investments are going. When it comes to the indigenous entrepreneurial loan program, for example, we know that $325 million has gone to 600 indigenous clients and is helping to create opportunities in their communities. It's also encouraging for the next generation to see strong leadership.