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Video Greeting Remarks by Minister Ambrose for the WEConnect Conference

Toronto, Ontario
November 9, 2010

Good afternoon.

Although I cannot be with you in Toronto today, I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak with you via video message. This is the next best thing in today's high-tech world.

As Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, I am proud to support all women who are striving to succeed in their fields of expertise. And I'm proud to recognize women across the country who are making meaningful contributions to all the sectors of our economy.

At Status of Women Canada, one of our major priorities has been supporting women's economic prosperity. Through our programs, we are investing in initiatives like yours throughout Canada.

Even during my first week as Public Works Minister, well before I received responsibility for the Status of Women portfolio, my first speech was on the occasion of International Women's Week 2010. And in that speech I told how our Government was celebrating the Week by supporting more outreach for women-owned businesses.

That's why in June of this year, I was pleased to announce our investment to support WEConnect Canada's partnership with the Women Enterprise Initiative of Western Economic Diversification Canada.

The initiative is creating new opportunities for women entrepreneurs. This includes helping to open doors for women to do more business across the country and around the world.

I applaud the work you're doing to advance the success of Canadian women in business.

In 2008, a chief executive from Ernst and Young said, "Investing in women to drive economic growth is not simply about morality or fairness. It's about honing a competitive edge. Diversity is not ‘nice to have.' It's a business imperative."

It will come as no surprise that Canadian women are among the world's most entrepreneurial. In fact, Canada has seen an increase of over 200 percent in women's entrepreneurship over the past 20 years.

At the federal level, we've made great gains to ensure women hold more leadership positions. Today, I am proud that nearly half of all Deputy Minister positions in the federal government belong to women.

In all sectors, we must keep pushing forward. This is why our Government is proud to support initiatives like yours. We want to encourage more women to succeed and have access to the tools they need to do the best job possible.

Recently, as Public Works Minister I announced the Kickstart Program. This new initiative will help business entrepreneurs bring their innovative products and services more quickly to market, by allowing us at the federal government level to test them first.

As this exciting new program makes clear, the Government of Canada believes that our entrepreneurs are truly vital to our country's prosperity. This includes all the women from coast to coast to coast who have business endeavours they would like to see succeed.

We believe that when women have the opportunity to participate equally, our communities thrive, our cities flourish and our nation prospers.

Please accept my best wishes today as you gather to share insights and exchange information. I wish you luck in the future as you continue to venture forward and break down barriers to success. It is women like you who inspire others to reach their goals and fulfill their dreams.

Thank you.

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Date Modified:
2010-11-10