Young entrepreneurs gathered in Toronto during global event
The G20 conference saw its fair share of world leaders gathering in Toronto during the groups' annual meeting to discuss the global financial structure. But this year, there was also a decidedly younger element at work.
The Financial Post reports that the first ever G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit - hosted by the Canadian Youth Business Foundation - was held from June 20 to June 22. The event, which gave young business leaders networking opportunities, ended with the president of the Canadian Counsel of Chief Executives - John Manley and the Minister of Industry for Canada - Tony Clement, signing a missive which pledged support for young business leaders.
"We hope the G20 leaders will see the value in supporting young entrepreneurs because this is, in the end, what propels an economy forward," said Manley in an interview with the news source.
The Summit featured a panel discussion which included leaders from all over Canada. Among the topics was the need for governments to take young entrepreneurs seriously.
"In too many cases, governments think of business as 'big' business [although] they're just beginning to realize that they need to support small business and young people," said Andrew Fiddaman, managing director of Youth Business International,
according to the Post.
The climate inside the young entrepreneurs conference was calm, compared to the mayhem which occurred outside the main conference a few days later. According to the Integrated Security Unit, the total amount of people arrested reach more than 900 people.
