On June 22, 2026, in Lethbridge, Alberta, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), announced a $173.7 million investment over five years to renew the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES).

When I began my procurement career, I was 19, working for a welding supply company. I was not a procurement savant. The company I was at had several key people leave, and I was left still standing. I learned what I needed to do, and the rest, as they say, is history. For a long time, I was the youngest person in the room and usually the only female. I’ve avoided clumsy passes, dealt with a restroom that was full of Penthouse and Hustler magazines, been spoken to like I was a cocker spaniel, and offered everything from a new car to a mistress apartment and an expense account to guarantee the win of a contract. 

WBE Canada’s Annual Awards of Excellence celebrate the outstanding individuals and organizations advancing inclusive procurement and supplier diversity across Canada. These prestigious awards recognize women entrepreneurs, corporations, and champions of supplier inclusion who are creating meaningful opportunities for women-owned businesses within corporate and government supply chains, both nationally and internationally.

As a woman entrepreneur, you know that building a successful business takes more than a great idea. It takes expertise, resilience, preparation and the courage to pursue opportunities—sometimes before you feel completely ready.That is why presence matters.

When Carla Parslow founded Parslow Heritage Consultancy Inc. (PHC) in 2019, she set out to build the kind of company she wished had existed earlier in her own career. Today, the Ontario-based cultural resource management firm has grown from one full-time employee and a small seasonal team to a thriving business with 62 employees, providing archaeological assessments that help protect Ontario's archaeological sites, artifacts, historic buildings, and cultural landscapes before development begins.

Across two cities, two provinces, and two very different business landscapes, one thing remained constant: the energy in the room and the feeling of community.

Since 2008, TBD Telecom By Design Inc. has been helping organizations across Canada build the reliable network infrastructure needed to support today's operations and tomorrow's innovation.

WBE Canada continues to expand its ongoing support and resources for its certified women-owned businesses, as we welcome ADP Canada to our Supporter Community. This collaboration will bring a positive impact to our community of women-owned entrepreneurs as they work to scale and grow their businesses.

For the past two decades, the path to digital transformation and greater efficiency often followed a relatively linear script: digitize paperwork, implement core systems, integrate data, and only then experiment with advanced technologies.

WBE Canada is pleased to announce Zubas Flett Liberatore Law LLP has joined Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) as its newest Partner.