In fact, what I am interested in is knowing what needs to be done to give a new boost to women's entrepreneurship. In the field, it is clear that we are headed towards a shortfall in terms of creating new businesses. We know that the pandemic is going to cause some businesses to close. It's impossible to quantify at this point, but there is no doubt that shutdowns will happen. If we combine these with the difficulty of creating new businesses, then the economy is really going to be hit hard. Moreover, women are more likely to be tempted to give up on the idea of going into business because of the problems created by the crisis and their responsibilities at home. This would lead to a decline in Canada's economy and the gap between men and women would grow even wider.
Various approaches could be taken. First of all, it is important to ensure that women entrepreneurs are given proper financial support when they are considering going into business, and that entrepreneurship be given another boost in the field to encourage the creation of new businesses. As for economic recovery plans, we need to ensure that they cover sectors where women entrepreneurs are prevalent. The economic recovery should not be thought of simply in terms of infrastructures, large projects and niches of excellence, but should also address economically essential sectors where women predominate.
We have also noticed in the field that there are business buyout opportunities, with many businesses currently not as healthy as they used to be. For some entrepreneurs the crisis was the straw that broke the camel's back and they have decided to sell. I think that women entrepreneurs might excel in this area. Indeed, we are currently seeing a drastic increase in the number of women entrepreneurs who are buying up businesses. I think that we have an excellent opportunity to relaunch the economy through buyouts by women. However, these women will need the proper financial tools and some coaching.