Evidence of meeting #78 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was business.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari  Vice-Chair, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Beba Svigir  Chief Executive Officer, Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association
Lori Straznicky  Executive Director, Pay Equity Task Team, Strategic Policy, Analysis and Workplace Information, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Marie-Hélène Sauvé
Frances McRae  Assistant Deputy Minister, Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Services, Department of Industry
Jonathan Will  Director General, Economic Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Kristen Underwood  Acting Senior Director, Employment Insurance Policy, Department of Employment and Social Development
Douglas Wolfe  Director, Strategic Policy, Analysis and Workplace Information, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
Nathalie Poirier-Mizon  Director, Small Business Financing Directorate, Department of Industry

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Thank you very much. We're going to move on. I gave you a few extra seconds, because you seem to have a lot of excellent information.

We're going to move to Marc Serré for five minutes.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to both witnesses for all the work that you're doing and for your presentations today.

My question would be mostly directed to Ruth. I don't have much time, but on the report from the United Nations on the elimination of discrimination against women, I just wanted to confirm that the report was published in April 2015, from data, information and statistics that you had from 2014 and prior. Is that correct?

11:55 a.m.

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

Yes, that's correct.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Are you aware that since then, since we formed government, we've established—

11:55 a.m.

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

Sorry, I think I missed one year. I think it was actually 2016 that Canada appeared before the committee. Let me just verify that.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Online it says that the report was published in April 2015.

11:55 a.m.

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

We're talking about two different reports. The inquiry report on the missing and murdered aboriginal women was in 2015. CEDAW's concluding observations on Canada's eighth and ninth periodic report, which is an entirely different reporting exercise, were published in November 2016.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

I wanted to ask whether you are aware, in the last two years, that we have launched a national child care program, investing $7 billion over 10 years. How do you feel that will be beneficial?

I know that was part of some of the recommendations you made, so I want to get your thoughts on that. Are you aware of that initiative?

11:55 a.m.

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

I'm hearing about it now for the first time, and I'm very glad to hear that. This is very reassuring information, and we certainly appreciate it. The next report on Canada is due, I believe, in 2020. Hopefully, it will also present itself in good outcomes on the ground.

It is certainly an indication of a good way to go. Likewise, the national inquiry committee that the new government established after the election was also a good indication of implementing the recommendation of CEDAW. We will keep monitoring this, hoping that this is the direction Canada will continue going in.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

I agree you made a lot of good recommendations that we are looking at. Hopefully, we can implement more.

You mentioned indigenous communities and first nations. Are you aware of Jordan's principle? We've serviced close to 20,000 indigenous children, who have been approved now. That was an issue that was debated before. Are you aware that we've done that recently?

11:55 a.m.

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

No, my apologies. Our work is not one of constantly monitoring all the states that are parties to the convention. We have the opportunity to examine progress periodically, every four or five years. In the interim, there is that follow-up exercise, but it is limited to only two issues that were raised during the dialogue. As I indicated before, those issues were the national machinery on the status of women and the implementation of that inquiry report on the missing and murdered aboriginal women. It is not on all the issues that CEDAW is about.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Thank you. I am not sure if you're aware, but we will also be submitting pay equity legislation in 2018. I know that was part of your recommendations too.

Noon

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

I'm glad to hear about that as well.

Noon

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Thank you very much. We have now finished our time for our first two panellists.

We're going to suspend for a few minutes, and we'll come back with the other panel.

Noon

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

We're going to reconvene now.

I would like to welcome our second group of panellists.

From the Department of Industry, we have Frances McRae, as well as Nathalie Poirier-Mizon.

From the Department of Employment and Social Development, I'd like to welcome Douglas Wolfe, Jonathan Will, and Kristen Underwood.

We also have an addition, if you would introduce yourself, please.

Noon

Lori Straznicky Executive Director, Pay Equity Task Team, Strategic Policy, Analysis and Workplace Information, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development

I am Lori Straznicky, also from DESD.

Noon

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Welcome.

We're going to start with presentations of up to 10 minutes, and you can divide your time as you wish.

12:05 p.m.

The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Marie-Hélène Sauvé

Is it 10 or five?

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Are we two separate groups?

We'll switch it for the first presentation coming from the Department of Industry and you have your time.

12:05 p.m.

Frances McRae Assistant Deputy Minister, Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Services, Department of Industry

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good morning everyone and distinguished members. My name is Frances McRae. I am the assistant deputy minister for small business, tourism and marketplace services at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The acronym I will be using is ISED.

In French, it is ISDE.

Last February, my predecessor, Ms. Shereen Benzvy Miller, addressed this committee and outlined how ISED is supporting the economic empowerment of women. It is my pleasure to provide an update on ISED's activities since our last appearance.

Canada is a world leader on gender equality, but we do have some challenges on the economic advancement of women, as you well know. I'll talk a bit about our sense of how the situation looks for small and medium-sized enterprises and women entrepreneurs.

I have a few facts to start. Only about 15.7% of small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, are majority owned by women in comparison to 64.6% majority owned by men. You may have seen a recent survey of more than 900 Canadian tech firms done by a new company called MoveTheDial and MaRS Discovery District, which found that women “account for just 5 per cent of CEO roles and 13 per cent of executive team positions, while more than half—53 per cent—of tech companies have no female executives. On average, women account for 8 per cent of director roles, while 73 per cent of firms have no women on their boards.”

A study in June 2017, by McKinsey Global Institute, which you're likely familiar with, found that improving women's equality in the workforce by 2026 could increase Canadian GDP by $150 billion.

As you know, the economic empowerment of Canadian women is a key component in Canada's economic prosperity and was highlighted in Budget 2017.

Women's entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a key source of employment creation and advancing women's equality. We have found it helpful to think about women in entrepreneurship and women in business as a continuum. They grow and develop along their entrepreneurship journey, from young girls and women needing exposure to entrepreneurship and opportunities in STEM, science, technology, engineering, math, as you well know, through accessing financing, business supports, and mentoring in order to start and grow their businesses. At the other end of the continuum are experienced business owners and leaders who need procurement and export opportunities, leadership advancement, and access to corporate boards.

I'd like to give the committee an update on activities that ISED supports to help women along this journey.

If I go back to the idea of a continuum, the first stage is exposure to entrepreneurship and STEM. For instance, CanCode is investing $50 million over two years starting in 2017-18 to support educational opportunities for coding and digital skills development for Canadian girls and youth.

As I move along the continuum, women benefit greatly from business skills support training. For example, the regional development agencies, which are part of the ISED portfolio, fund entrepreneurship development and women-directed business training across the country.

Women also need financing in order to start and scale-up their businesses. For example, we indicated at our last appearance that the Business Development Bank of Canada had committed to investing $700 million by 2018 in women-owned businesses.

I am pleased to report that BDC has exceeded this commitment. As of September 30, 2017, $809 million had been authorized over 30 months. We surpassed the target of $700 million that the Bank had set. The Bank's portfolio of majority women-owned businesses is now at 4,744 clients, a 41% increase from the start of the initiative.

Announced in November 2016, BDC's women in tech fund extends $50 million in venture and growth capital to women-led tech firms, targeting early-stage and growing companies.

BDC will also deliver a new $400-million venture capital catalyst initiative, which was announced in budget 2017, to provide late-stage venture capital to Canadian entrepreneurs, obviously including women entrepreneurs.

The BDC has partnerships as well. The Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba provides loans of up to $150,000, and through a new co-lending agreement signed in June 2017 with the centre, BDC will provide an additional $100,000 to businesses that require more capital.

Finally, BDC has also undertaken a full review of its services to women entrepreneurs. It's expected to release its findings shortly.

As women move along the growth pathway, especially women transitioning to high growth, their needs become more complex. Like all entrepreneurs, they need access to experienced business mentors and targeted supports. I'll give you a couple of examples of how ISED supports organizations that help women-owned businesses grow.

There is Futurpreneur, which offered business training and mandatory mentoring to over 400 young women entrepreneurs last year.

Fierce Founders, a Waterloo-based tech accelerator that is part of an industry-led innovation centre known as Communitech and funded by FedDev Ontario, is designed to provide seed funding and mentorship to women-led businesses. Since the program's launch in 2014, Communitech has seen an increase in women engaging in its start-up services, and now sees 25.9% of its active start-ups with at least one female founder.

For women with mature businesses in the last stages of the continuum—and I'll wrap up shortly on that—we seek to help them export and provide procurement opportunities. For instance, ISED recently launched Innovative Solutions Canada, a new procurement program announced in budget 2017. To maximize inclusiveness, particular effort is going to be made to encourage procurement from under-represented groups, including women.

The government has also taken steps to advance the number of women on boards and in senior management. Bill C-25, which is currently at second reading in the Senate, would require publicly traded companies under the Canada Business Corporations Act to disclose information on the gender diversity of their boards and senior management.

Finally, I will mention an initiative that we anticipate will provide recommendations along the continuum. You will recall that in February 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. President Trump announced the creation of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. The council is focusing on five areas: increasing the number of women in STEM; encouraging women to start businesses; growing women-owned businesses; increasing women's access to capital; and advancing women as leaders in the private sector. These areas align with ISED's priority areas of support for women entrepreneurs, and we anticipate seeing recommendations over the coming months.

To close, Canada is a world leader in gender equality. That said, there is still work to be done.

While the government supports women at various stages along the continuum, we know that we need to continue to do work in this area with other departments and with stakeholders.

Thank you for your attention today.

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Thank you very much.

Does the Department of Employment and Social Development have a presentation today?

12:10 p.m.

Jonathan Will Director General, Economic Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development

No.

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Would you like to make any comments, or would you like us to go directly to questions and answers?

12:10 p.m.

Director General, Economic Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development

Jonathan Will

Questions.

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Questions and answers, fantastic.

We're going to start off with Sean Fraser for seven minutes.