About Canada Business

Canada Business is a government information service for businesses and start-up entrepreneurs in Canada.

Canada Business reduces the complexity and burden of dealing with various levels of government by serving as a single point of access for federal and provincial/territorial government services, programs and regulatory requirements for business.

Services from Canada Business are available on the web, by telephone (toll-free) and email, and in person. For specific contact information, refer to the Contact Us page.

Canada Business information, web products and services are continuously updated and refined in response to business needs. See our Services page for information on Canada Business products and services.

Mandate and Mission

Canada Business's mandate is to serve as the primary source of up-to-date and accurate business-related information and to provide referrals on government programs, services and regulations—without charge—in all regions of Canada.

The mission of Canada Business is to:

• improve the start-up, survival and growth rates of small and medium-sized enterprises by giving business people in every part of Canada access to accurate, timely and relevant information and referrals
• reduce the complexity of dealing with various levels of government by consolidating business information from the clients' perspective in one convenient service
• enable clients to make well-informed business decisions in a global economy
• encourage business success through sound business planning, market research and the use of strategic business information

Service Delivery Partners

In addition to its local service locations, Canada Business also delivers its services through a network of local business organizations in communities across Canada. See the Visit the Canada Business Network page for a complete list of these locations.

Collaborative Arrangements and Management Structure

The Canada Business Network is operated through a variety of collaborative arrangements with provincial and territorial governments and, in some cases, not-for-profit organizations.

Canada Business is funded and managed on behalf of the Government of Canada by four lead departments:

• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
• Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
• Industry Canada
• Western Economic Diversification Canada

Canada Business National Secretariat

The Canada Business National Secretariat is in Ottawa and operates as part of Industry Canada. The National Secretariat supports the Canada Business Network by:

• developing policies, standards and practices to promote a consistent national network operation
• supporting information management of web-based applications and the Canada Business website
• coordinating the necessary technology support and application development services to support Canada Business operations from Industry Canada's Chief Information Office

For further information on Canada Business, please refer to the Canada Business Annual Report.