Mr. Speaker, this week is Small Business Awareness Week. With more than 1 million small businesses in Canada, they are the engines driving the economy and creating the jobs, and women are the leaders in business today. Before they used to be behind the scenes. Today they are front and centre.
In fact, business firms led by women entrepreneurs are creating jobs in Canada at four times the average of all other firms. Between 1984 and 1990 in Atlantic Canada the percentage of women owned business employing five or more full time employees increased from 16 to 28 per cent. This is extraordinary growth and women are indeed succeeding in business.
I urge the government to develop programs to help small businesses that are particularly sensitive to the economic potential of women entrepreneurs.