NEWS RELEASES
MARCHI TO LEAD BUSINESSWOMEN'S TRADE MISSION AND HOLD BILATERAL TALKSIN WASHINGTON-NEW YORK TRIP
November 6, 1997 No. 180
MARCHI TO LEAD BUSINESSWOMEN'S TRADE MISSION AND HOLD
BILATERAL TALKS
IN WASHINGTON-NEW YORK TRIP
International Trade Minister Sergio Marchi will lead a ground-breaking trade
mission of around 120 businesswomen to Washington from November 12 to 14 in an
effort to increase the number of firms led by women exporting to the lucrative
U.S. market.
"There is great potential for increasing Canadian exports among firms headed by
women," said Mr. Marchi. "Women head about one-third of Canadian companies,
employing about 1.7 million people and creating jobs at a rate of four times the
national average. This is a key sector we are targeting in our effort to double
the number of exporters by the year 2000."
The three-day Canadian Businesswomen's International Trade Mission is designed to
introduce potential exporters to the U.S. market and, specifically, to explore
business opportunities and form partnerships in the mid-Atlantic states of
Maryland, Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
Canadian exports there amounted to $11.5 billion in 1996. The mission is a project
of the Canadian Women's International Business Initiative, set up by the Canadian
Embassy in Washington.
The mission program will enable Canadian participants to pursue business
opportunities with U.S. firms through mentoring, networking and partnering
activities. A series of export development workshops on topics ranging from export
strategies to marketing and international business financing will allow
participants to improve their understanding of topics that interest them most. On
the final day, each businesswoman will follow an individual schedule of meetings,
set up by the Embassy, with prospective U.S. clients and partners to explore sales
opportunities.
The mission has strong private sector as well as government support. The Royal
Bank of Canada is the presenting sponsor. Other sponsors include the Business
Development Bank of Canada; the Certified General Accountants' Association of
Canada; Export Development Corporation; GM Canada; the law firm of Hodgson, Russ,
Andrews Woods & Goodyear; IBM Canada Ltd.; Industry Canada; and the Department of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
While in Washington, Mr. Marchi will also review multilateral and bilateral trade
issues with U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley and U.S. Trade Representative
Charlene Barshefsky. As well, he will meet Aida Alvarez, head of the U.S. Small
Business Administration, to discuss matters related to the businesswomen's
mission.
He will speak on trade policy issues to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington
on November 13 and to a meeting of the Council of the Americas and the Americas
Society in New York on November 14.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Leslie Swartman
Office of the Minister for International Trade
(613) 992-7332
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Backgrounder
CANADIAN BUSINESSWOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL TRADE MISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C., NOVEMBER 12-14,
The Minister for International Trade, the Honourable Sergio Marchi, will be
leading the first Businesswomen's Trade Mission, to Washington, D.C. from November
12 to 14, 1997. The Royal Bank of Canada is the presenting sponsor.
The Canadian Women's International Business Initiative (CWIBI) is a business
development program of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., designed to
assist export-ready Canadian women entrepreneurs in developing business
opportunities for their products and services in the mid-Atlantic states --
Maryland, Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia --
a market worth $11.5 billion.
This region includes representation from three-quarters of the world's
multinational corporations; it has the second-largest concentration of high-tech
firms outside "Silicon Valley," and the U.S. government in Washington is a
significant market for Canadian goods and services.
The mission is designed to balance the fact that businesswomen are under-represented within the community of Canadian exporters, despite their presence and
influence in the Canadian economy. Thirty per cent of all Canadian firms are owned
or operated by women; 700 000 women-led businesses in Canada provide 1.7 million
jobs and are generating jobs at four times the average rate.
Projections are that there will be 680 000 self-employed women by the year 2000.
In fact, self-employed women had the fastest rate of growth (172 per cent) of all
employment sectors from 1975 to 1990.
The Businesswomen's Trade Mission is a major project undertaken under CWIBI to
help reach the government's goal of doubling the number of active exporters in
Canada by the year 2000.
The three-day mission will feature market information sessions, networking events
and matchmaking meetings aimed at forging bilateral links with U.S. firms.
Representatives of women-led businesses in the U.S. mid-Atlantic will join
mission participants at a special luncheon to be addressed by U.S. Secretary of
Commerce William M. (Bill) Daley and by Minister Marchi.
Minister Marchi will lead a round table on "breaking down the barriers" with
Canadian businesswomen to determine how government can best support women-owned or
-led businesses in entering the international business marketplace.
Personal success stories told by Canadian women entrepreneurs and keynote
addresses by influential Canadian and U.S. business people will reinforce the
dynamic role women are playing in the new economy.
Workshops will highlight opportunities in consumer products and services,
professional services, environmental technologies, agri-food, seafood and
government markets, where participants will learn about international market
research, export strategy development, financing and export counselling services
in Canada, marketing and business culture in the United States and partnering for
market entry.
Several hundred meetings are being arranged between the Canadian businesswomen and
U.S. companies.
The mission will be held at the Westin Hotel in Washington; registration is
US$300; airfare and hotel accommodations are the responsibility of each
participant.
The presenting sponsor of the mission, the Royal Bank of Canada, is supporting the
mission as a complement to the Bank's Small Business Initiatives program, which
invests in and assists women entrepreneurs through training seminars offered in
six locations across Canada, and through the creation of an Entrepreneurial
Advisory Council to advise the Royal Bank on programs and direction in the women's
market.
In announcing the trade mission in a speech on September 16 to the 1997 Meeting of
the APEC Women Leaders' Network, Minister Marchi said: "We simply must do a better
job of providing women entrepreneurs with the tools they need for export success.
. . . it is my hope that this three-day mission will not only assist women in
reaching their export objectives, but will also heighten awareness of their
importance to the Canadian economy."
The mission is actively supported by the Canadian business community. The Royal
Bank of Canada is the presenting sponsor, joined by the Business Development Bank
of Canada; the Certified General Accountants' Association of Canada; Export
Development Corporation; GM Canada; the law firm of Hodgson, Russ, Andrews Woods &
Goodyear; IBM Canada Ltd.; Industry Canada; and the Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade.
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