By Roshan Jhunja
Whether offering a service, opening a restaurant or setting up a convenience store, starting a business takes courage, drive, and a willingness to take risks.
These attributes are also shared by new immigrants who are willing to leave behind their familiar past in order to build an unknown future in Canada.
Passion and work ethic alone, however, aren’t enough for newcomer entrepreneurs looking to build and scale their businesses. They need financial support, affordable real estate, mentorship and help navigating unfamiliar regulations in a new country. Their ambition to grow and create jobs needs to be fully supported to ensure their entrepreneurial goals become reality.
Consider the critical importance of entrepreneurship on the Canadian economy: According to Statistics Canada, in 2022, small businesses made up 98 per cent of all employer businesses in Canada, and employed 10.7 million individuals, which is almost two-thirds of the country’s total labour force.
When …