May 21, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
Canada's small and medium-sized enterprises are the engines that drive economic prosperity and create jobs for the middle class. Opening new international markets and expanding existing ones are central to the Government of Canada's trade diversification strategy, which aims to propel Canadian businesses to new markets, new customers and new jobs.
Today, Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, was in Montérégie to highlight the $100‑million expansion of the CanExport SMEs program and meet with companies that have benefited from the program to grow their exports. This funding program helps Canadian small and medium-sized companies access new export opportunities by diversifying into new markets.
Parliamentary Secretary Poissant met with representatives from Automacad Inc., a company specializing in custom-made automated industrial equipment that has leveraged both the CanExport program and the Trade Commissioner Service to expand into markets abroad. CanExport funding for SMEs in Quebec totals $18.5 million and has supported 586 projects across the province since 2016.
The CanExport expansion is a key component of New Markets, New Customers, New Jobs: Canada's Trade Diversification Strategy, an investment of $1.1 billion over six years to help Canadian companies succeed. With these investments, the government continues to make Canada the most well-connected trading economy worldwide, while creating more jobs at home.
"Canada's small and medium-sized enterprises are wealth and job creators supporting the middle class and those working hard to join it. The investments we are making today will further support Canadian businesses by connecting people, ideas and products to customers around the world."
- Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture
"With the help of the CanExport program, Automacad is currently working on establishing a wet-cast-equipment distribution network in the Middle East. Developing a new sales territory takes a lot of time and effort. The financial assistance from the CanExport program helps us to invest more resources in order to reach our goals faster."
- France Barbeau, CPA, CA Vice-President, Automacad
Quick facts
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The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced investments of $100 million over six years to reinforce the CanExport program and related funding programs so that more Canadian businesses can explore new overseas markets, especially high-growth emerging markets and markets benefiting from free trade agreements such as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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To date, the CanExport SMEs program has supported more than 1,200 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises with 1,600 projects to expand their markets and increase export activities in more than 110 markets around the world.
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The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced investments of $290 million over five years to help Canadian businesses export and grow and to strengthen the Trade Commissioner Service and enhance the support it provides to Canadian exporters.
