Minister of Economic Development and Growth Steven Del Duca met with the group of businesswomen for about an hour in Peterborough on Thursday.
Those in attendance say they felt the face-to-face discussions had a real impact. While the business owners and entrepreneurs told the minister they appreciated some of the work done by his ministry, they added much more needs to be done.
“I think everybody was very honest, very frank, brought up some really great points and some fantastic statistics about women in Canada and up-and-coming women. I think there’s a lot of room for improvement, and I think today’s meeting was a great start,” said incoming Women’s Business Network president Tracey Ormond.
There has been much discussion lately whether or not businesswomen still need to be regarded as separate from their male counterparts.
“I still know we have more work to do when it comes to promoting individuals, breaking down the barriers that exist that have built up over many many years, for women who have such extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit,” Del Duca said.
According to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, 47 per cent of small- to medium-sized Canadian businesses were entirely or partly owned by women.