Evidence of meeting #19 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was bdc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Senior Vice-President, Financing and Consulting, Atlantic, Business Development Bank of Canada
There are a few that I went through and they were similar for both men and women. We talked about maintaining cash flow, time management, and those are the ones you're speaking of.
Really, I think the biggest one that BDC could help with, as I said, is maintaining the cash flow and the debt levels through our financing services.
Senior Vice-President, Financing and Consulting, Atlantic, Business Development Bank of Canada
—particular to women.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
So you're saying essentially that the challenges are the same.
Senior Vice-President, Financing and Consulting, Atlantic, Business Development Bank of Canada
I'm saying the challenge is the same, yes. Often I do meet with a lot of clients, men and women, and I ask them what they are seeing. The two things they're coming back with are access to financing, and recruiting and retaining talent. It's the same for men and women.
Senior Vice-President, Financing and Consulting, Atlantic, Business Development Bank of Canada
One of the challenges women are facing is the work-life balance in terms of that, as well.
Conservative
Senior Vice-President, Financing and Consulting, Atlantic, Business Development Bank of Canada
Thank you.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Nowlan, how does a co-op measure success in its programs? In other words, what kind of results are you looking for?
Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
There's a variety of ways we do that. Obviously, we measure our programming in general on a macro level, but when we do a particular initiative, such as a training session or taking a group of entrepreneurs on a trade mission, there's actual follow-up to say what came out of that for them.
We know we're getting a lot of success from the things we've done. For example, I talked a little bit about some of the things we do with international business with WEConnect, taking women on trade missions in the United States. There are some very specific tangible results from that—
Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
There are increased sales and deals are cut, where deals are signed—with Walmart, as a specific example of one entrepreneur—with major corporations. They've actually signed contracts, although there may not be a sale immediately—
Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
—but there's a commitment to purchase.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you very much, Mr. Nowlan and Mrs. Ambler
The floor now goes to Ms. Duncan, for seven minutes.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you to all of you.
This has been really interesting. We appreciate your expertise. I'm going to begin with my questions, but I hope I get time to come back to Dr. Boutin.
I'd like to talk about the prosperity of women who work in STEM fields, science, technology, engineering, and math fields, and the fact that they make about one-third more than women in non-STEM fields, and that the STEM workforce is expected to grow by about 20% over the rest of the decade. I hope to get back to that.
I'm going to begin with Dr. Elliott, and I'm going to go ask all of you for short answers.
What are the three greatest challenges women face? For each challenge, you could give the recommendation that you would like to see this committee implement, please.
Dr. Elliott.
Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Wow, recommend to this committee, how big is that? But I do get to go first, so that's good, I guess.
Liberal
Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Yes, I have my women's entrepreneur hat on right now, for some reason.
When it comes to entrepreneurship, I think women have some issues around, shall we call it social capital. This is related to networking and needing to develop social capital beyond just relatives and friends. They've shown through research that it tends to be a bit more focused on a close group of connections, so they need to expand that out to more professional networks and associations, etc.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
What would be the recommendation to the committee, to government, to help women do that?
Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
One recommendation I would have is to establish more women's enterprise centres across the country. We have an eastern presence, and we have a western presence, but we have nothing in the middle.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
That's very helpful. Thank you.
You have said to expand social capital, and a recommendation to increase the enterprise centres.
Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Women-focused ones in particular, because I think there is an additional benefit for women to go to women-focused enterprise centres. The ones who we spoke to have indicated there was additional value to having that particular focus.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I really appreciate that. Do you have two other challenges, and two recommendations you would like to give us?