Canadian government takes steps to help small firms have access to government contracts

The Government of Canada is opening a new office, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, to help smaller firms do business with the federal government.
At the same time, the Honourable Scott Brison, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada announced a series of cross-country workshops to consult with representatives of small and medium sized enterprises on the changes being made to the way the government buys goods and services. Minister Brison will chair the first workshop in Halifax on September 23rd. Further workshops will be held in Montreal, Toronto, the Ottawa area, Edmonton and Vancouver.
“I have heard the concerns of small and medium sized businesses and will work with them to ensure they will continue to have access to government business,” he said.
Small and medium enterprises are defined as any for-profit enterprises with fewer than 500 employees. They now account for approximately 47% of the value of government purchases and 75% of government contracts.
See www.pwgsc.gc.ca/sme or call 1-800-811-1148.