On March 18, 2015, Prime Minister Harper announced that the a new export development program will be launched that will provide a total of $50 million in direct financial assistance, over the course of 5 years, to entrepreneurs seeking to export to emerging markets for the first time. Non-repayable contributions will be offered to fund activities such as participation in trade fairs, trade missions, and investment in market research. This program is expected to assist between 500 to 1,000 exporters per year across Canada.
In addition, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) will be expanded. To help Canadian exporters target emerging markets, the federal government will deploy an additional 20 Trade Commissioners to target priority markets.