The Honourable Diane Ablonczy Celebrated Entrepreneurship Week Canada 2008

OTTAWA, November 24, 2008 — The Government of Canada was extremely happy to be a partner in Entrepreneurship Week Canada. For the first time, Canada celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week. This event brought together like-minded youth across the globe to celebrate and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship. The week began on November 17, with activities running through to November 23 in cities all across the country.

I would like to sincerely congratulate and thank the Canadian entrepreneurs who participated in this year's events. Their leadership, energy and creativity bring innovation, growth and prosperity to our communities and to our country as a whole. During Entrepreneurship Week Canada, but also every day, we applaud and celebrate our successful entrepreneurs and those who overcome failure as a step to greater success. We are very proud of our Canadian entrepreneurial spirit.

We recognize the concerns that business owners have in this time of economic uncertainty, and we are committed to helping businesses prosper. The government is making the economy its number one priority to help pave the way for the continued growth and success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during these challenging times. They are the engine of growth and prosperity in this country, and we are committed to supporting their efforts.

The government has laid out a long-term economic plan for Canada called Advantage Canada. The plan is designed to secure better-paying jobs and solid economic growth for Canadians. Through this plan, the federal government is seeking to build an innovative and entrepreneurial business environment and a tax system that rewards hard work — all built on a foundation of sound fiscal management.

We are continually seeking new ways to support entrepreneurs in creating and growing their businesses and have developed some tools to help serve businesses better. These tools include BizPaL, which makes it easier to secure permits and licences. Canada Business provides entrepreneurs with a single point of access to information on government services, programs and regulatory requirements for businesses. The government will help drive the growth of the entrepreneurial energy and creativity of our country by further raising their tax threshold and indexing the lifetime capital gains exemption to inflation. With the resumption of Parliament, we will continue to implement the federal Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative for SMEs.

Our government has also introduced a more competitive tax regime and is providing help to entrepreneurs with financing. The new privately run venture capital fund to be established at the Business Development Bank of Canada will greatly help SMEs in promoting start-up and growth.

Entrepreneurship is essential for a vibrant, growing economy. Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who seize opportunities and create ventures that benefit their communities. They are a source of change and progress and, as such, should be recognized and celebrated. Their creativity and ingenuity turn challenges into opportunities and innovative ideas into commercial success.

I would like to thank all entrepreneurs across Canada whose energy and spirit make their community a better place to live.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-6183

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502