VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), with strong support from the Government of Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) and the public and private sectors, today released Program Review: How APF Canada Advances Trade Diversification Through Women-Led Entrepreneurship, a seven-year review of its Women's Business Mission Series and complementary programming covering 2019 through April 2026.
Launched as a pilot project in 2019 and supported by WES funding since 2020, the program has delivered 10 international trade missions and four investment-focused events across the Indo-Pacific. As of April 2026, these initiatives have supported 189 women entrepreneurs from across Canada, generating $49.8 million in self-reported commercial outcomes and tracking 168 active deals under development.
"This report confirms what we've seen mission after mission: when Canadian women entrepreneurs are provided with curated introductions, sustained support, and a seat at the table in priority Indo-Pacific markets, they close deals," said Christine Nakamura, APF Canada's Vice-President, Central Canada Office, and mission lead. "What began as a single pilot trade mission to Japan has grown into an integrated model spanning trade, investment, and ecosystem-building – and the results not only highlight the dynamism of our women entrepreneurs but provide clear evidence that Canada’s economic diversification is a shared imperative."
The report highlights the growing role of investment-focused programming, introduced in 2023 through an annual venture capital and private equity summit in Singapore, which has helped shift the program's scope from export market expansion alone to capital attraction. It also points to the outsized role of in-person engagement: nearly 99 per cent of confirmed deal value has come from in-person missions, underscoring the importance of relationship-based business development for SMEs entering new markets.
A highlight of the program review report is the 2025 Indigenous Meeting on Pacific and Arctic Climate and Trade (IMPACT), a targeted mission dedicated exclusively to Indigenous women entrepreneurs. Held on the margins of Osaka Expo 2025 and drawing on Canadian connections with Indigenous leaders in Japan, Taiwan, Alaska, Australia, and New Zealand, IMPACT offered early qualitative insights into how Indigenous women's leadership intersects with trade, climate policy, and cultural diplomacy, underscoring an evolution in APF Canada's approach to inclusive trade programming.
"IMPACT showed us that Indigenous entrepreneurship can't be fully understood through conventional market metrics alone," said Dr. A.W. Lee, APF Canada’s Director of Inclusive International Trade. "It integrates economic activity with cultural continuity and environmental stewardship, and it's reshaping how we think about inclusive trade policy moving forward, both in Canada and across the Indo-Pacific."
The report also charts the growth of the Canadian Women's International Network (CanWIN), established in 2023 as an outgrowth of the mission series to keep delegates connected between missions and to extend the value of each trip well beyond its final day. CanWIN has grown from 12 members in 2021 to 297 members as of July 2026, and has convened roundtables, symposia, and summits in cities across Canada and Asia, including Vancouver, Whitehorse, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, St. John’s, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, and Manila.
Looking ahead, the report calls for policy and program design that treats trade and investment as mutually reinforcing components of a single strategy, recognizes that commercial outcomes in the Indo-Pacific often take at least 12 to 36 months to materialize, and embeds Indigenous perspectives more systematically within trade, economic, and climate policy frameworks. It also urges funders and program designers to plan for multi-year engagement horizons, noting that short funding cycles risk withdrawing support from participating companies in the months before their deals reach closing.
The full report, including selected deal case studies, delegate profiles, and program design insights drawn from seven years of missions, is available on APF Canada's website.
Media Contact: Michael Roberts, Director of Communications, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is Canada’s only national public‑purpose institution dedicated exclusively to Canada‑Asia engagement. Our vision is a prosperous, secure Canada shaping its future through high‑impact engagement with Asia, and our mission is to enable Canadians to understand, connect with, and succeed in Asia.
APF Canada is dedicated to strengthening ties between Canada and Asia through its research, education, and convening activities, such as the Canada‑in‑Asia Conference series, our Women’s Business Missions to Asia, and the APEC‑Canada Growing Business Partnership project fostering sustainable inclusive growth and poverty reduction. APF Canada also works with business, government, and academic stakeholders to provide Asia Competency training for Canadian organizations and students.
Our research provides high‑quality, relevant, and timely information, insights, and perspectives on Canada‑Asia relations for Canadians and stakeholders across the Asia Pacific. Our research work also includes regular Insights, Dispatches, Reports & Policy Briefs, Strategic Reflections, Case Studies, Explainers, and a weekly Asia Watch tracking the latest news on Asia that matters to Canada.
