Canada’s federal government announced a new project to support women entrepreneurs across the country. 

In a news release Tuesday, Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez and Ruth Vachon, the president and chief executive officer of the Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec (RFAQ) announced the Maïa Inclusive Growth Project. The project received $3.7 million in funding through the government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund. 

(Link: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/wes-ecosystem-fund/en) 

"The positive impacts of the Maïa Inclusive Growth project are going to be felt nationwide by helping get women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds on the radar of big business,” Valdez said in the release. 

“Supporting women is more than the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do for our economy, and I am proud of our government's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy for making these critical investments."

According to the release, the project will be delivered by the RFAQ along with EY, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada and others. It will focus on “diversifying the supply chain” to make it easier for Canadian women entrepreneurs to secure contracts with large buyers. 

Part of the project will entail RFAQ educating large businesses on the benefits of the diversification of supply chains, as well as training and supporting women entrepreneurs to access those supply chains. 

“It's a program that will not only accelerate the growth and enhancement of entrepreneurs' skills but also promote innovation and competitiveness among big businesses,” Ruth Vachon, the RFAQ president and director general, said in the release. 

“Over time, we will also have helped make our society and economy fairer and more inclusive.”