ADVOCACY

Though we offer our members a ton of benefits you won’t find anywhere else, the most critical difference between CanWCC and other entrepreneurial organizations is our advocacy role.

Because we are the Chamber of Commerce (the first and only for women business owners in Canada), we are called upon for input as part of the public consultation process when governments (of all levels) are considering policy change.

We take this responsibility very seriously and welcome the opportunity to meet with senior policy analysts, ministers and other representatives at every level of government.

Every two years, through consultation with our members, partners and Board of Directors, we establish an advocacy agenda that:

Identifies key issues that significantly impact women-identified entrepreneurs and business owners in Canada, and
Makes specific policy and/or action recommendations

Our Advocacy Agenda
The key issues of our 2019-2020 advocacy agenda are:

Access to capital
Access to corporate and government supply chains
Pay equity
Affordable childcare

This is by no means an exhaustive list – but rather our ‘top priorities’ for this 12- to 24-month period.

View or Download our complete Advocacy Agenda

Below is a summary of our key recommendations for each of our current key issues

Key Recommendations

Lenders should eliminate any fees required to submit a business loan application, especially for underserved applicants.
Lending institutions should Increase transparency and provide guidance to borrowers by publishing minimum eligibility metrics for loans (e.g. borrower’s credit score, financial ratios) and typical interest rates by industry. This information is not meant to provide a guarantee that a loan will be granted per se, but will allow potential borrowers to assess whether their business would be viewed favourably by a lender and to forecast their ability to make future loan payments at a typical interest rate for their industry.
Lending institutions should publish the eligibility criteria regarding ownership and management when using the term “woman” in relation to any fund, investment, or loan product.
Lenders and funding agencies (including the Government) should re-evaluate the definition of “technology” and “innovation” to include a broader range of projects and firms. Adoption of technology should be recognized as a critical part of the innovation life cycle.
The Government should establish a program, similar to the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP), where individuals can withdraw money from their RRSP (and their spouse or common-law partner’s RRSP) to start or grow a business without losing the value of their contributions or contribution room to date (providing repayments are made on time).

The Federal Government should enact legislation to require a diverse supplier procurement policy where at least 15% of total public sector procurement spend is allocated to minority suppliers, either directly or indirectly (through subcontracting). This can be implemented over three years, starting with 10%, and increasing the target by 2.5% a year for the next two years. By including the subcontracting option, private sector firms will be exposed to the benefits of supplier diversity, and will have the opportunity to build relationships with minority suppliers.
The cost of due diligence should not be borne by an underutilized supplier and legitimate suppliers should not be penalized because the potential for fraud exists. If third-party certification remains a requirement by corporations (and government), a 100% refundable tax-credit should be implemented for annual certification fees to allow businesses to recoup the full amount when filing their tax return.
Certified women-owned businesses should take advantage of the certification organizations’ directories and networking opportunities to connect with and do business with each other.
Certified businesses should identify similar and ancillary businesses with which they can partner to fulfill larger contracts.
Corporations with supplier diversity programs should implement diverse supplier development programs in their industry to build capacity within their industry’s supply chain. They are well positioned to train suppliers on procurement issues and trends in their industry.
Certification organizations are encouraged to expand woman-owned certification to trans-women and non-binary individuals.

All provinces should enact comprehensive pay equity legislation.
The Federal Government should conduct a GBA+ review of retirement and income protection policies and saving options. This review is long overdue and will support the evolving needs of Canada’s diverse workforce.
The Federal Government should create a task force to evaluate employment insurance (EI) benefits, EI special benefits, and the impact of these programs on women, including women business owners.

All provinces should enact universal, affordable, publicly funded childcare legislation.
Childcare and early childcare education workers should be paid a fair wage, commensurate with their training and responsibilities.
Municipalities should direct urban planning departments to utilize existing data analysis to properly incentivize the development of childcare businesses in “childcare deserts” to ensure appropriate availability of care.

By joining us as a member (or a partner), you can help increase our influence (power in numbers!) – but beyond that, you’ll also have an opportunity to provide input every year that will shape our advocacy agenda.

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ADVOCACY

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