Thursday was a day to remember, and one to build on, for LGBTQ2 business owners from coast to coast to coast. Mary Ng, the federal minister for small business, export promotion and international trade, announced a new $14-million Canada-wide program to support LGBTQ2 entrepreneurship.
“Getting access to funding and helping them navigate to those sources of capital. That’s one of the things that this program will do,” said Ng, who made the announcement at the Canada Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) annual business summit, which is being held in Kingston, Ont.
Many business owners of diverse genders and sexualities face discrimination both socially and in business sectors. Ng said the program will not only help these business owners start up or scale up financially, but will also provide access to connections and resources they’ve never had before.
According to Ng, there are more than 100,000 LGBTQ2-owned and operated businesses in Canada, which contribute $22 billion to the economy.
Amanda Finkle, owner of Darlin Diner in Kingston, said the new program would have made a world of difference when she was an aspiring young business owner.
“I didn’t really have that confidence that I would ever be able to reach this, sort of, step because who I was, as a person, different from everybody else.”
Finkle said the new program will help business owners get past some of the bias and barriers they face due to who they are. It may also inspire others.
“Having an inclusive program that’s visible to them, that’s accessible, that allows them to just be who they are, I think that will help them have the confidence to apply for those loans that maybe they thought they wouldn’t get,” she said.
Ng says the program will begin rolling out money to young, aspiring LGBTQ2 businesspeople as soon as it can.
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