ABOUT
What is a Chamber of Commerce?
A Chamber of Commerce is an organization with a goal to further the interests of the businesses they serve and to advocate at all levels of government for the interests of their members.
CanWCC is the first – and only – Chamber of Commerce for women-identified and non-binary business owners in Canada. (Before 2017, we didn’t exist, so there’s a lot of catching up to do). As a chamber of commerce, we represent your needs with the government. Our position and title as a chamber gives us access to people who impact change.
We’re working hard to make the change you deserve now- not in 100 years.
Why does Canada need a Women's Chamber of Commerce?
Women and non-binary entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs deserve the same opportunity to reach their full economic potential as men and people who traditionally hold power do. While there is a Canadian Chamber of Commerce, we know not everyone feels welcome, seen, or heard there. CanWCC is here to prioritize the needs of women and non-binary entrepreneurs. Not make them an afterthought.
our story
In 2015, CanWCC founder Nancy Wilson left the security of the corporate world behind in favour of the freedom, flexibility and possibility of entrepreneurship.
She set out as a freelance accountant serving women-owned businesses – but discovered quickly that being a woman entrepreneur in Canada came with some significant challenges and barriers.
She heard her own frustrations reflected back to her time and again through her clients – and couldn’t help but notice that they didn’t seem to translate to the male ‘experience’ of entrepreneurship.
At the same time, Nancy was looking for community – but found the vast majority of networking groups targeted to women were lacking in the substance she was looking for - real tools for growth and valuable connections that were useful for her business.
So she decided to do something about it – and, in 2018, The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) was born.
Community
We’re building networks of women on the ground growing successful businesses.
CONNECTION
We give you a chance to participate and contribute your voice and experience to building a new strategy for women in business.
Impact
We take this strategy as an advocacy agenda to policy makers and demand that they address systemic challenges to create lasting change.
Resources
Resources, discounts, and referrals from our partner network to achieve your goals.
We have a ‘come as you are’ philosophy
We believe that women-identified entrepreneurs and business owners are competent, innovative, and ambitious.
You do not need to be fixed - the system does.
Our team works every day to connect our members with the information and resources they need to succeed – on their terms – while advocating for the removal of systemic barriers to growth.
CanWCC is partially funded by a grant from the Department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE).
We value: Community & Connection
We believe that business and community interests are not mutually exclusive. Just as businesses rely on community resources, they also have a responsibility to give back to the communities that support them.
We strive to promote, elevate and nurture cultural values, wellness and businesses that sustain both our communities and ourselves.
We believe in providing inclusive access to CanWCC’s programs, services, and resources and value the work done by all persons involved with the organization, both tangible and intangible.
We recognize the diverse experiences of newly immigrated, racialized, Indigenous, LGBTQIA2S+, gender non-binary, francophone, Northern and rural, low-income, young and senior women, and women with disabilities. We seek input from these communities to ensure programs, services, and resources provide equitable support to all women in business.
We value: Collaboration
We choose to focus on complementing, rather than competing with, services, resources, and organizations in Canada’s business ecosystem. We value mutual benefit for all parties in all partnerships with members, sponsors, partner organizations, governments and the public.
We believe that compassion and empathy are the building blocks of connection and value the humanity, autonomy, and independence of all individuals.
Honestly, inclusion, and openness are essential to creating connection, and we strive to live these values in all interactions with members, sponsors, partners, governments and the public.
We value transparency and openness in our partnerships with members, sponsors, partner organizations, government and the public, and strive to be transparent in all communications. All advocacy, policies, programs, resources, and services are non-partisan.
We value: Change
We strive to ensure CanWCC remains responsive to changes in the Canadian business ecosystem and member-voiced concerns. We will remain open to change and relevant to our membership for the lifetime of the organization.
To learn more about CanWCC, read our story, or meet our team. For membership info – or to join us! – please visit our membership page.