– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
TORONTO, ON. — September 1, 2026 — The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) has introduced a refreshed partnership framework designed to better align its external relationships with its evolving mission: advancing gender and economic equity, specifically for Canada’s self-employed women.
As CanWCC’s work has expanded from supporting entrepreneurs broadly to representing the interests of self-employed women and advocating for care as infrastructure, the organization has undertaken a review of how it builds, manages and invests in relationships across the ecosystem.
The refreshed framework creates greater clarity around the different ways organizations can work with CanWCC. It recognizes that meaningful change requires collaboration among organizations with shared values and complementary goals, working together to strengthen what many describe as “siloed” voices.
Going forward, CanWCC will focus its partnership efforts on relationships that advance shared priorities, including gender equity, economic justice, care as infrastructure and improvements to the social safety net and business supports for self-employed or “own-account” women. These relationships will include organizations engaged in advocacy, research, community-building and collective action.
“Partnerships are most valuable when they are purposeful and rooted in shared goals,” said Nancy Wilson, CEO of the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “This refresh allows us to focus our time and energy on relationships that strengthen our collective ability to advocate for self-employed women and create meaningful change.”
As part of this transition, CanWCC will conclude its Trusted Partner Program, which was developed under a previous organizational strategy.
CanWCC will continue to cultivate relationships with coworking spaces across Canada, recognizing their role as important community hubs where self-employed women work, connect and build networks. These relationships provide opportunities for member connection, local engagement and future programming.
“Our goal is not simply to have more partnerships,” added Wilson. “Our goal is to build stronger relationships with organizations who share our commitment to improving economic outcomes for self-employed women and advancing the broader movement toward gender and economic equity.”
About the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) is a nationally incorporated, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocacy, advancement, and connection for and on behalf of its members. CanWCC’s membership consists of women and gender-diverse self-employed workers, business owners, and organizations that are at least 50% woman(en)-owned and led.
Media Contact:
Communications Team – media@canwcc.ca
Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce