Thank you very much, Madam Chair and honourable members, for the opportunity to discuss the important topic of Canadian businesswomen in international trade. This is very timely, as Canada is committed to advancing a progressive and inclusive trade agenda that addresses such issues as gender equality by ensuring that all segments of society can take advantage of the opportunities that flow from international trade and investment.
In my remarks today, I will highlight the landscape of Canadian women entrepreneurs and provide an overview of our business women in international trade program—or BWIT, as we like to call it—and outline the work being done by the BWIT program to increase opportunities for Canadian businesses on the global stage.
To begin with just an economic context, Statistics Canada's 2014 survey found that, overall, women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises represented 15.7% of all SMEs but that only 11.1% of exporting SMEs are owned by women. There is lots of room, then, to grow on many fronts.
Canadian business women are expected to play a significant role in driving Canada's economic future. A Royal Bank of Canada study predicts a 10% increase in the number of women-owned firms over the next 10 years would lead to a $50 billion injection into the Canadian economy.
At Global Affairs Canada, this potential has long been recognized.
The BWIT program was established in 1997 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is fully integrated as a program in the Canadian trade commissioner service, and the program is dedicated to assisting, promoting, and advocating for women-owned businesses in the area of international trade. The main objectives of the program are to provide export advice, guidance, and access to information and services specifically for women entrepreneurs, including support networks, government resources and events, and opportunities for women-owned businesses to participate in women-focused trade missions abroad.
To achieve these objectives, BWIT has a wealth of tools, information, and products that could be leveraged by Canadian women exporters. We have an annual BWIT newsletter—I believe copies have been distributed—which showcases successful women exporters, promotes the benefits of international trade, and disseminates information regarding key government-wide international business development programs and services. The newsletter is widely distributed to more than 2,500 entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Canada and through our missions abroad, and is available to download on the BWIT website and the trade commissioner website as well.
We maintain a BWIT website as part of the trade commissioner website, with approximately 70,000 visitors annually. It provides resources and access to a range of educational and funding programs; links to key contacts in government support agencies, financial institutions, and a variety of regional, national, international associations; as well as expert advice geared to improve competitiveness in international markets.
By looking at ways to connect entrepreneurs across Canada and keep them informed, we launched a LinkedIn group back in 2012, creating an interactive venue for businesswomen to share ideas and successes with other like-minded entrepreneurs. With almost 2,300 members and growing, this LinkedIn group is a two-way conversation and a rich source of intelligence and practical information for entrepreneurs.
Articles that highlight the achievements of successful Canadian women entrepreneurs are regularly included in CanadExport, the department's bimonthly electronic trade newsletter which has almost 27,000 subscribers. Annually, a special edition commemorating International Women's Day on March 8 is published, which features the many successes, realized by Canadian business women.
With the collaboration of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, a specialized women-owned sub-directory in the department's Canadian Companies Capabilities database was created in 2014. The specialized directory is a searchable database that helps business women identify and promote their products and services to potential customers, as well as to partner with other women-owned businesses. It also provides corporations that have supplier diversity initiatives access to a dedicated listing of women-owned businesses across Canada.
Our flagship event, without a doubt, is the BWIT-led trade missions, a major component of the program. There are anywhere from two to four missions annually for women-owned enterprises. In fact, there's a trade mission happening this week. A delegation of 86 Canadians, of which 62 are representatives of women-owned business enterprises, are currently in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the largest supplier diversity conference and business development fair. Fortune 500 companies have sent their procurement officers to this conference with the express purpose to diversify their supply chains by contracting with minority-owned companies. Through engagement in this conference, our program provides Canadian businesswomen access to supplier diversity programs, connects them with many of America's leading corporations that are committed to doing business with women-owned enterprises, and provides insight into the U.S. market.
A good example of the success we have encountered there is a businesswoman from Manitoba who owns a company that sells pies in a jar. On a recent women's trade mission to Orlando, she presented her product to purchasing officers from Disney, and they're pursuing contracting opportunities to have her product available in the Magic Kingdom. Another example is a businesswoman from Prince Edward Island who is now supplying her abrasive products in several major hardware store chains across the United States, all based on attending our trade missions program. In the BWIT newsletter, there are many other examples like this.
A permanent feature of our program is the ability to develop strong partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels. An example of this is the establishment of WEConnect International in Canada, a non-profit organization that certifies Canadian women-majority-owned businesses. WEConnect International's certification—