Quebec's Economic Lifeline: A New Push for Women in Business Succession

MONTRÉAL, QC – February 05, 2026 – As Quebec braces for a monumental shift in its economic landscape, with nearly 50,000 businesses expected to change hands over the next five years, a powerful coalition has launched a strategic initiative to secure the province's future. On February 4, BCF Business Law, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Repreneuriat Québec officially unveiled the Mouvement repreneuriat au féminin (Women in Business Succession Movement), a direct response to a looming succession crisis and a critical gender gap in business ownership.

The movement aims to address the stark underrepresentation of women in business takeovers by setting an ambitious goal: to increase the proportion of women business successors from the current average of 26% to 35% within five years. This initiative is not merely about equity; it's framed as an economic imperative to preserve jobs, retain local expertise, and ensure the continuity of thousands of Quebec enterprises.

An Economic Imperative

Quebec is standing at a demographic and economic crossroads. Data indicates that nearly 10,000 businesses are slated for sale in the coming year alone. This wave of transfers, driven by a generation of retiring baby boomer entrepreneurs, presents a significant risk to the province's economic stability. Without a sufficient pipeline of capable successors, thousands of jobs, decades of accumulated expertise, and countless companies in strategic sectors could vanish or be absorbed by interests outside the province.

The urgency is compounded by a lack of preparedness. Research shows that only about four in ten owners intending to sell have a formal succession plan in place. This gap between intention and action creates a vulnerability that could see viable businesses close their doors simply for want of a new leader.

It is within this high-stakes context that the Mouvement repreneuriat au féminin finds its purpose. By focusing on women, the movement seeks to tap into a vast, underutilized pool of talent and leadership. Mobilizing women to step into ownership roles is positioned as a critical strategy to fill the succession gap, ensuring that established businesses not only survive but are revitalized with new energy and vision. The success of this initiative could become a key determinant in the long-term prosperity and resilience of Quebec's regional economies.

Dismantling Systemic Barriers

Despite their central role in the economy, women remain significantly sidelined in the realm of business succession. Data from the Repreneuriat Québec Observatory paints a clear picture of this disparity: between 2015 and 2022, women accounted for an average of just 26% of business successors. The figure becomes even more telling when spousal transfers are excluded, plummeting to a mere 18.3%. This statistic reveals that when it comes to arm's-length business acquisitions, women are far less likely to be the ones taking the helm.

The obstacles contributing to this gap are not individual but systemic. The movement's founding partners, following extensive consultations with economic leaders and analysis by Aviseo Conseil, have highlighted a series of well-documented barriers:

• Limited Access to Capital: Women entrepreneurs often face greater scrutiny and inherent bias from finance providers, making it more difficult to secure the significant capital required for a business acquisition.
• Lack of Specialized Support: The complex journey of a business takeover requires a unique support system, which has historically been less available or tailored to the specific challenges women encounter.
• Persistent Stereotypes: Outdated societal perceptions about women's roles and leadership capabilities can undermine their confidence, influence the advice they receive, and affect how seriously they are considered by sellers, financiers, and industry peers.
• Underdeveloped Professional Networks: Access to the informal networks where business opportunities are often discussed and deals are initiated is a crucial element of succession. Women have traditionally had less access to these established, often male-dominated, circles.
• Work-Life Balance: The intense demands of navigating a business acquisition process can be especially challenging for women, who often still bear a disproportionate share of family and household responsibilities.

By acknowledging these obstacles as systemic, the movement shifts the focus from fixing individuals to fixing the ecosystem, creating a more level playing field where talent and ambition, not gender, determine success.

A Blueprint for Collaborative Action

To tackle these deep-seated challenges, the Mouvement repreneuriat au féminin is built on a powerful collaborative model, uniting three pillars of the Quebec business community. Each partner brings a unique and critical set of resources and expertise, creating a comprehensive support structure for aspiring women successors.

BCF Business Law, a leading Quebec firm with over 330 legal professionals, provides the essential legal and strategic framework. Their role is to help women navigate the intricate legal and contractual maze of business transfers, from due diligence to closing the deal.

The Fonds de solidarité FTQ, a major investment fund with $23.0 billion in net assets, brings the financial muscle. Its involvement directly addresses the primary barrier of capital access, providing a crucial source of funding and investment expertise to make acquisitions financially viable for women.

Repreneuriat Québec offers the on-the-ground succession expertise. Having already supported nearly 35,000 entrepreneurs and facilitated the transfer of businesses representing close to $10 billion in revenue, the organization provides proven models for support, mentorship, and connecting buyers with sellers. Its data-driven approach, through its Observatory, ensures the movement's strategies are based on solid evidence.

This tripartite alliance is deploying an initial three-pronged strategy. First, it aims to raise the profile of women in business succession through targeted visibility campaigns, including video capsules featuring successful role models. Second, it is creating dedicated spaces for dialogue and connection, fostering the very networks that have been a missing link for many women. Finally, it has launched a central digital resource, the website repreneuriataufeminin.com, which serves as a hub for tools, practical information, and access to the support ecosystem.

Through this concerted effort, the partners aim to do more than just encourage individual takeovers. They are working to evolve the rules of the game, positioning Quebec as a local and international reference model for how to successfully and inclusively manage economic transition and cultivate the next generation of business leadership.