TORONTO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion Mary Ng met Chinese-Canadian entrepreneurs here Thursday to highlight the Canadian government's commitment to small businesses and discuss opportunities for expanding to new markets.

At the meeting, Minister Ng outlined the government initiatives, including 75 million Canadian dollars (about 57 million U.S. dollars) in Budget 2018 to build a stronger diplomatic presence and Trade Commissioner Service sales force in China and Asia.

She said that small businesses are vital to economic growth in Canada. That's why the government Canada offers a variety of programs and initiatives to grow small business across the country.

"Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. That's why our government has taken action to make it easier for small businesses to do what they do best," added the minister.

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99.7 percent of businesses in Canada. They employ more than 90 percent of the private sector workforce-10.7 million Canadians. One in six jobs in Canada is related to exporting. Exporting companies pay on average 14 percent higher wages than similar firms that do not export, according to the Canadian Ministry of Small Business and Export Promotion.

Canada and China enjoy strong people-to-people ties, nearly 1.8 million Canadians have Chinese heritage.