Minding her own business |

In a recent "Globe and Mail" article, Barbara Orser, chair of the Canadian Task Force for Women's Business Growth, recommends the need for a national economic strategy for female entrpreneurs in Canada. According to the article only 16 percent of all small and medium-sized businesses are owned by women. Annual revenues for these businesses are half of those made by similar male-owned businesses. The task force believes that female-owned businesses represent significant untapped potential in the Canadian economy and that a national program for female entrepreneurs would lead to a 20 per cent increase in total revenues which would, in turn, pump an extra $2 billion into the economy.

In its recently released report in which it reviews existing government business programs, the task force states that more could be done to support women entrepreneurs since many existing programs "are limited to geographic regions or emphasize start-up rather than growth." The task force makes six recommendations in its report that they feel would not only increase productivity in women-owned businesses but would also ensure that Canada remains competitive in the global economy.

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