Financing export activities of small Canadian businesses: Exploring the constraints and possible solutions

This study explores the challenges that face Canadian entrepreneurs and small business owners in financing their export activities and investigates the problems that constrain financial institutions in providing more financial resources to current and potential exporters. The data are obtained during interviews with the export financing executives of various financial institutions and with entrepreneurs and managers of several companies who are in various stages of their export activities and represent many industries. The interviews reveal that some problems are fundamental and will continue to constrain export finance. At the same time, the study finds that some problems can be resolved by bridging the informational gap that currently exists between Canadian exporters and suppliers of credit.