March 3, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, wrapped up Canada's first women-only virtual trade mission to Taiwan, hosted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada).
Taiwan is uniquely positioned to facilitate growth and expansion for entrepreneurs and businesses. It offers many opportunities for Canadian businesses to introduce their innovative and world-class products and services to a dynamic and growing market.
Held during the global lead-up to International Women's Day on March 8, and following the successes of the women-only business mission to Japan in 2019 and virtual mission to South Korea in 2020, this 2-day trade mission focused on important global health and environmental innovations and solutions.
The trade mission, which included Sara Wilshaw, Chief Trade Commissioner, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), gave Canadian and Taiwanese women leaders from the business, government and technology sectors the opportunity to explore avenues for collaboration and scale their businesses in both countries. It also promoted women-owned and women-led Canadian innovations in traditional and emerging sectors, such as cleantech and life sciences, on the road to an inclusive and sustainable global economic recovery.
Quotes
"Canada's incredible women business owners and entrepreneurs represent sectors that lead in innovation, whether it is bioscience and biotechnology, cleantech, agricultural technology, advanced manufacturing, smart cities or digital health technology. I am confident that our Team Canada approach will further empower women entrepreneurs to take advantage of our important trading relationship with Taiwan and build even more bridges for international collaboration. Our government will always support women's ambition to start up, scale up and explore international opportunities, as demonstrated by this important trade mission."
- Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
"Congratulations to the truly inspiring entrepreneur delegates who participated in the First Canadian Women-only Virtual Business Mission to Taiwan! APF Canada is proud to have led this exciting initiative, supported by the Government of Canada, to showcase talented women whose innovations can make a strong contribution to addressing the key global issues of today. I would like to sincerely thank all of the sponsors, supporters, presenters and attendees, who helped make the event such an amazing success. I look forward to seeing the new relationships forged through this unique event continue to flourish; creating new opportunities and partnerships for Canadian women entrepreneurs in Taiwan's dynamic market."
- Christine Nakamura, Vice-President, Toronto Office, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Quick facts
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Over 385 women entrepreneurs from across Canada participated in the first Canadian women-only virtual trade mission to Taiwan.
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APF Canada is a not-for-profit organization focused on Canada's relations with Asia.
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Taiwan is Canada's 15th-largest merchandise trading partner and the world's 38th-largest economy.
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Launched in 2018, Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy is a comprehensive, whole-of-government plan with a value of nearly $5 billion in federal investments to help women grow their businesses through access to financing, mentorship, expertise and networks of support.
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In the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, the TCS served 37% more women-owned clients compared to the previous fiscal year and facilitated 175% more commercial agreements over the same period.
