2018 Northern Policy Hackathon

The second Hackathon brought together northerners from across the three territories and Inuit Nunangat to develop innovative policy recommendations regarding the growth of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) both locally and internationally. [...] The following policy recommendations should be the responsibility of: ⊲. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) ⊲. Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) ⊲. Quebec Economic Development Program (QEDP) ⊲. Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) ⊲. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) ⊲. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) [...] The business counsellor would provide longer term business support that would foster the development of financial literacy, provide technical support and information, offer follow-up support during implementation of business decisions, assist in the application process for various streams of financial aid, and collect data to feed into the MSME survey. [...] The federal government is in the process of developing new policies and adapting existing policies that may affect northern SMEs such as the Innovation and Skills Plan and the Arctic Policy Framework. [...] For example: there is no clear MSME strategy or vision; there is a lack of data on MSMEs and evidence informing programs and policies; there is a lack of policies and programs tailored to northern MSMEs and limited awareness of existing supports, and; northern business innovation is not being enhanced.