There are more than one million small businesses and about 2.7 million self-employed Canadians-
98 per cent of Canadian businesses have less than 100 employees
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In 2009, small businesses alone employed about five million people
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About 16 per cent of working Canadians were self-employed that year
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Small businesses are major employers in industries that include retail, construction, accommodation, food, health care, forestry
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About 47 per cent of all small and medium-sized enterprises include “some degree” of female ownership, but only 17 per cent of those SMEs are majority-owned by women
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About 87 per cent of exporters are small businesses
Sources: Industry Canada, Statistics Canada, University of Ottawa, Business Development Bank of Canada
Source: Globe and Mail