Spring Economic Update 2026
A National Perspective from the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC)
Executive Overview
What is the Spring Economic Update and Why It Matters
The Spring Economic Update (SEU) is the Government of Canada’s mid-year fiscal and economic update. It provides insight into the country’s economic performance, outlines emerging priorities, and signals the direction of future policy and investment.
While the federal Budget establishes long-term commitments, the Spring Economic Update plays a complementary role:
- It confirms economic direction
- It signals where capital and policy attention are moving
- It creates early opportunities for engagement before programs are fully designed
For Canada’s women’s enterprise ecosystem, the SEU is an important moment to:
- Understand where growth will occur
- Align with federal priorities
- Engage early in shaping how opportunities are delivered
Women entrepreneurs, ecosystem organizations, and government partners are all contributing to this moment of economic transformation.
Executive Statement
The Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) welcomes the direction set out in the Spring Economic Update 2026 and the Government of Canada’s continued leadership in building a strong, resilient, and competitive economy.
WEOC recognizes the significant leadership reflected in this update and the government’s continued commitment to building a stronger and more inclusive economy for Canadians.
The Government of Canada has set a clear and forward-looking economic direction through this update.
This work reflects a shared commitment across governments, organizations, and entrepreneurs to strengthen Canada’s economic future, together.
The update signals a shift toward a capital-led, investment-driven growth model, focused on infrastructure, industry, productivity, workforce development, and global competitiveness.
Canada enters this moment from a position of strength, with improving fiscal outcomes, strong global investment attraction, and one of the most stable economic positions in the G7.
Women are clearly part of this economic story. The update highlights record labour force participation and includes meaningful investments in safety, housing, and inclusion. These are essential foundations of economic participation.
At the same time, this reflects an area where the policy framework continues to evolve and where there is an opportunity to further strengthen connections to entrepreneurship, business growth, and access to capital.
For WEOC and the ecosystem, this represents a constructive moment of alignment. The direction is clear. The opportunity now is to ensure women entrepreneurs are fully connected to the capital, trade, procurement, and innovation pathways shaping Canada’s next phase of growth.
Perspectives
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue:
“The Spring Economic Update 2026 builds on the momentum of our budget, combining strategic investments with sustained fiscal discipline to keep building Canada Strong for All, delivering prosperity today and strengthening our economy for tomorrow. At this pivotal moment in Canada’s history, we’re charting a course through the fog of uncertainty and global headwinds with strength, determination, and ambition, building one strong Canadian economy, by Canadians, for Canadians.”
The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business, referenced in communication with WEOC and the women’s ecosystem that the Spring Economic Update advances the government’s core mission to “grow the economy, protect Canadians, and make life more affordable,” while highlighting the importance of supporting Canadian businesses, strengthening workforce participation through initiatives such as Team Canada Strong, and ensuring women and underrepresented entrepreneurs are positioned to participate in trade, investment, and economic growth across the country.
Victoria Lennox, CEO, Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC):
“WEOC welcomes the Government of Canada’s 2026 Spring Economic Update and its focus on building a strong, resilient, and competitive economy.
Women are already key contributors to Canada’s economic growth. As Canada advances a more investment-driven growth model, ensuring their full participation is essential to strengthening the country’s economic capacity.
WEOC serves as critical economic infrastructure for women’s entrepreneurship in Canada, coordinating and aligning more than 50 women’s enterprise centres and organizations across every region to ensure women-owned businesses can start, scale, and grow. Through this national system, WEOC has supported more than 720 women entrepreneurs and deployed over $33 million in capital on behalf of the Government of Canada.
Through national initiatives such as the National Pathways Working Group, WEOC is helping ensure the ecosystem operates in a coordinated, consistent, and accessible way, strengthening the entrepreneurial infrastructure that underpins Canada’s competitiveness and connecting women entrepreneurs to opportunities in export growth, innovation, critical supply chains, AI adoption, and major national projects.
WEOC stands ready to work alongside the Government of Canada as a trusted advisor and delivery partner to help ensure Canada’s economic priorities are realized in a way that engages the full potential of women entrepreneurs across the country.”
Key Highlights of the Spring Economic Update 2026
The Spring Economic Update introduces a coordinated set of measures shaping Canada’s economic direction:
Capital and Investment
- Creation of the Canada Strong Fund, Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund
- Over $125 billion in major projects, supporting national infrastructure and industry
Workforce Development
- Team Canada Strong: training 80,000–100,000 skilled trades workers
- Expanded apprenticeship and workforce participation supports
Trade and Export Growth
- Strong emphasis on trade diversification and export expansion
- Investments in trade infrastructure and global market access
Procurement and Industry
- Expansion of Buy Canadian policies
- Increased SME access to federal procurement (~$37B annually)
AI and Productivity
- Forthcoming National AI Strategy focused on SME adoption
- Emphasis on innovation, scaling, and competitiveness
Affordability and Housing
- Housing supply investments
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
Communities and Inclusion
- Investments in Indigenous communities
- Support for gender-based violence prevention
- Housing and disability supports
What This Means for Women Entrepreneurs
The Spring Economic Update does not introduce a standalone women’s entrepreneurship program. Instead, it establishes the broader economic conditions where growth will occur.
Women entrepreneurs should read the update as a signal of where opportunity is emerging:
Key Opportunity Areas
- Capital: participation in investment ecosystems and major projects
- Export: expansion into global markets
- Procurement: access to federal supply chains
- AI and productivity: adoption of new technologies
- Sector growth: infrastructure, tourism, clean tech, and manufacturing
For many women entrepreneurs, this will translate into new opportunities to grow, access capital, and participate in larger markets, while also navigating ongoing cost pressures and evolving market conditions.
This reflects an important shift:
From participation → to participation in growth at scale
What This Means for the Ecosystem
For women’s enterprise organizations across Canada, the SEU is a national alignment moment.
It signals:
- Where government focus is moving
- Where entrepreneurs will need support
- Where ecosystem coordination will matter most
The role of the ecosystem is evolving:
From: Supporting entry
To: Enabling participation in growth, scale, and competitiveness
A Strategic Window for Engagement
Many of the government’s largest initiatives are still being shaped.
This creates a shared opportunity to engage.
WEOC and the women’s enterprise centres and organizations can:
- Contribute insight into program design
- Strengthen the connection between labour participation and entrepreneurship
- Ensure women entrepreneurs are positioned within emerging investments
As with previous fiscal cycles, the Spring Economic Update refines the direction, while the government begins to prepare for its Fall Budget cycle.
WEOC’s Role as a National Delivery Partner
WEOC, representing over 50 organizations across Canada, plays a central role in translating federal priorities into economic outcomes.
This work builds on ongoing collaboration between the Government of Canada and the women’s enterprise ecosystem across regions.
WEOC brings a proven national network, deep regional reach, and direct connection to women entrepreneurs across Canada, positioning it to support effective and inclusive implementation.
WEOC serves as:
- A national connector between policy and entrepreneurs
- A delivery partner for inclusive economic growth
- A source of ecosystem intelligence
- A coordinator of national alignment
WEOC stands ready to work with the Government of Canada and partners across the ecosystem to support implementation and ensure women entrepreneurs are fully connected to emerging opportunities.
Closing
Canada is entering a period of economic transformation.
The direction is clear.
The framework is evolving.
The opportunity is shared.
Women entrepreneurs are already contributing to Canada’s economic strength. Governments, ecosystem organizations, and entrepreneurs are working together to build what comes next.
Across Canada, women entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them are navigating this transition together; building businesses, creating jobs, and contributing to their communities.
WEOC is proud to stand alongside partners across Canada in this work, supporting alignment, advancing opportunity, and ensuring that women entrepreneurs are fully embedded in the country’s economic future.