Not just the right thing, but the smart thing: Rechie Valdez on the business case for inclusion
‘Growing up, I didn't see people who look like me in leadership roles,’ says Rechie Valdez.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney named Rechie Valdez to cabinet, he gave her not one portfolio but three: Minister of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism. Far from viewing the combination as a stretch assignment, Valdez sees the overlap as precisely the point.
“This alignment of WAGE to Small Business is a profound opportunity because, while it's a very social portfolio in that it advocates for women and gender-diverse people, it also creates empowerment for these people through our economy,” she told Yahoo News in June.
That economic framing is central to everything Valdez does. In a political environment increasingly defined by trade pressures and competitiveness concerns, she framed gender equality as a business imperative.
“You simply cannot be the strongest economy in the G7 without the inclusion of women and gender-diverse people,” she said, adding, “We only make up half the population.”
In February, Valdez announced $15.5 million in federal funding to strengthen national women's organizations across Canada. Of that, $14.5 million will be distributed by the Canadian Women's Foundation to organizations focused on justice, leadership, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender-based violence. An additional $1 million goes to the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) to help build a more coordinated and sustainable women's sector.
Women still earn just 87 cents on the dollar versus men
In 2024, women aged 25–54 achieved a record 85% labour force participation rate — yet still earned just 87 cents for every dollar earned by a man, a gap that widens further for Black, Indigenous and racialized women.
“When you invest in gender equality, you invest in the well-being of entire communities,” said Mitzie Hunter, President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation. “This funding is about strengthening the women's movement in Canada — supporting national women's rights organizations that are driving systemic change.”
Valdez's path to the cabinet table is itself a case study in the barriers her ministry is designed to dismantle. She spent 15 years in corporate banking before becoming a small business entrepreneur — a journey she describes as far from straightforward.
“The journey was difficult and I know what it feels like,” she said of her experience as a visible minority woman in business. It was the birth of her daughter, Cassidy, that prompted her to start a small business baking cakes — and, ultimately, to find a political voice.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our communities, and my focus is on making sure they have the tools, support and conditions that they need to grow and thrive.”
No sole proprietor is an island
That experience as a sole proprietor shaped how she thinks about policy today. “The thing about being a sole proprietor entrepreneur is that if you work on an island, you're setting yourself up to fail,” she noted, describing how building community among entrepreneurs taught her the value of collaboration — a lesson she now applies at the federal level.
Her policy prescription for women entrepreneurs reflects that experience directly. “Our Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, for example, is truly an investment,” she said. “It can actually even prevent gender-based violence because it's empowering.”
The strategy, launched in 2018, invests $7 billion to increase women's business ownership — currently just 17.8% of small and medium-sized enterprises — and boost their contribution to GDP.
Valdez is the first female Filipino-Canadian member of Parliament and the first Filipino-Canadian to serve in cabinet — something she takes to heart when it comes to visibility.
“Growing up, I didn't see people who look like me in leadership roles,” she told Global News in May. “If people can see it, then people can become it.”
She hopes those firsts are only a starting point, she said. “While I am the first, I want there to be more representation — not just Filipinos, but all the different ethnic communities out there,” she said. “The more representation that Parliament and different levels of government can reflect the mosaic of Canada, the better our policies will become.”
More representation equals better policies
For Valdez, that improvement in policy is itself an economic argument. Her priorities — ending gender-based violence and advancing economic justice for women and gender-diverse people — are not separate agendas but integrated.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our communities, and my focus is on making sure they have the tools, support and conditions that they need to grow and thrive. We have an incredible tourism sector. It is a powerful economic engine and supporting jobs in many different sectors is going to be really important. So as we work together in our new government, in building a stronger, more integrated economy, my job is really to ensure that women, gender, diverse people to LGBTQIA+ communities, small businesses and tourism in terms of the sector aren't just included, they're leading Canada's economic growth,” she said. “It's all about unlocking their full participation in our economy. It isn't just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do.”
