TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, April 11, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada), a national nonprofit organization connecting Canadian women-owned businesses to corporate and government supply chains, has received funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund at ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada). In partnership with Paul D. Larson, Ph.D. at the University of Manitoba, and Jack D. Kulchitsky, Ph.D. at the University of Calgary, the “Fast-Track to Supply Chains" project addresses practical gaps identified by previous research.

The announcement was made by the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, during WBE Canada’s Women’s Day event on March 8, 2023.

“This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the incredible talent and achievements of women and the concrete action our government is taking to make sure every woman counts. Time and again, Canadian women have proven themselves to be hard-working and dedicated entrepreneurs, yet many still face barriers to reaching their full entrepreneurship potential. Today’s announcement marks another big step toward ending gender bias and helping women from all walks of life bring their talents and skills to market for the benefit of all Canadians.”
– The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development

Working with Larson and Kulchitsky, WBE Canada will utilize WES funding to drill down to understand the barriers preventing women-owned businesses from accessing supply chains more completely – and create tools to address these barriers to support economic growth in local, regional, and Canada-wide communities. WBE Canada will be working closely with its membership community as well as partner organizations to compile relevant supply chain information and share newly developed tools and recommendations with the buyer and supplier communities.

“This support will create a much-needed boost to our existing efforts and create a lasting impact on the Canadian women business community and we greatly appreciate it,” said Silvia Pencak, President & CEO, WBE Canada during her remarks at the 2023 Women’s Day event hosted by WBE Canada.

“I am tremendously inspired by this opportunity to merge traditional supplier certification, which focuses on capabilities, with diversity certification, which focuses on empowering women and other important communities, such as Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ+ people and visible minorities.” Paul D. Larson, Ph.D., Professor of SCM, University of Manitoba

“A critical aspect of this project is to create awareness of the social and economic benefits accruing from reduced competitive barriers for traditionally under-represented supply organizations including women-owned enterprises.” Jack D. Kulchitsky, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Calgary.

About WES Ecosystem
The WES Ecosystem Fund supports projects that deliver business support to women entrepreneurs and contribute to their business development and growth. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) collaborates with Canadians across all sectors of the economy and regions of the country to foster investment, enhance innovation, increase Canada's global trade presence, and establish a fair, efficient, and competitive marketplace.

About WBE Canada
Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) is a Canadian nonprofit organization with a mandate to empower and facilitate the success of women-owned businesses with equitable access within supply chains to drive innovation, social value and economic growth in communities across Canada. WBE Canada’s activities include accelerating supplier diversity, development and maintenance of the Canadian WBE database and empowerment of women-owned businesses. We have a fast-growing network of over 500 certified Canadian Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and 70 Corporate Members - organizations that are committed to supplier diversity. Our network represents women-owned businesses of all sizes, backgrounds, categories, industries and intersectionalities (BIPOC, 2sLGBTQ+, etc.) across Canada. We connect WBEs to companies and organizations in automotive, construction, finance, food & beverage, government, tech, telecom and other sectors.

About University of Calgary
The University of Calgary was established in 1944 as the Calgary Campus of the University of Alberta and instituted into a separate autonomous university in 1966. The campus hosts fourteen faculties, 55 departments, and 85 research institutes and centers. Twelve research centers are hosted within the Haskayne School of Business, including the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business, the Hunter Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Canadian Centre for Advanced Supply Chain Management and Logistics.

About University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba is western Canada’s first university, established in 1877. Three years later, in 1880, Canada banned Indigenous cultural practices, under the so-called Potlatch laws. These disrespectful laws were finally repealed in 1951. At the U of M today, we recognize that our campus is located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation; moving forward in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration with Indigenous communities. From 2006 to 2009, the U of M supply chain management department, led by former Head, Paul D. Larson, created and wrote a new C.P.P. curriculum for the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC). Since then, the C.P.P. has been re-labeled SCMP, and PMAC is now called Supply Chain Canada.

Alexandra Roy
WBE Canada
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