Membership FAQ

Membership is open to corporations, government and nonprofit organizations who have demonstrated interest in supporting women-owned businesses through their supply chains (supplier diversity). Certified WBEs are not classified as members.

Corporations, government and nonprofit organizations that have supplier diversity program or are in the process of starting one are eligible to join. They must proactively seek Women Business Enterprise (WBE) suppliers.

Membership provides you unlimited access to certified WBEs to fulfill your procurement needs. You will also receive the tools and resources designed to help you start a Supplier Diversity Program in your organization. To learn more visit the Member Benefits and Fees page.

• Identify opportunities to increase your organization’s procurement from Women Business Enterprises.
• Identify opportunities to increase awareness of the availability of women-owned businesses as suppliers.
• Support and promote WBE Canada’s vision and mission.
• Report on procurement spend with certified Women Business Enterprises.
• Participate in and support WBE Canada with networking events and programs where applicable.
• Leverage the WBE Canada Database for its intended use of sourcing goods and services.
• Remit membership dues annually.

WBE Canada offers many high visibility opportunities for corporate participation. From Board seats, through Committee seats to Sponsorship opportunities, we will be glad to discuss further involvement for your company. Contact Frances Varrecchia at fvarrecchia@wbecanada.ca to get the conversation started.

WBE Canada provides a national standard for the certification of women-owned companies. Our professional staff implements this standard while processing the applications and trained volunteers at Certification Committee evaluate each application to ensure that our standards are met.Each application is reviewed through a thorough process to confirm that business is 51% or more owned, managed and controlled by women. All applications that are not compliant are denied. Each successful applicant is issued a certificate to confirm the compliance with our policies.

To ensure that our database is current, certified WBEs undergo annual recertification process to confirm that they continue to meet our standards. You can rest assured that businesses with valid WBE Canada certificate are truly women-owned.