eBay Canada Managing Director meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Entrepreneur of the Year winners

Last week eBay Canada hosted its annual Entrepreneur of the Year event to recognize the contributions of Canadian small businesses on eBay to the overall growth of ecommerce in Canada. This year’s event celebrated three of Canada’s most successful eBay sellers – watchvendor, budget_electronics, and boardshopw – for their success. As part of the recognition, the 2016 award winners were invited to join three previous Seller of the Year winners in Ottawa for meetings with key government stakeholders and a seller recognition reception.  

The event had an amazing start as the sellers and eBay Canada’s Managing Director, Andrea Stairs, kicked off their packed day with a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As Minister for Youth, the Prime Minister was especially interested in meeting with the 2016 Entrepreneurs of the Year, who are all millennials. 

Following their meeting with the Prime Minister, the sellers participated in a roundtable with David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, and Gudie Hutchings, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, where they discussed our top Canadian policy issues, including Canada’s low-value customs de minimis threshold and Canadian postal reform efforts. 

Immediately after the roundtable, the eBay Canada team hosted a reception for the sellers, their families, and key government stakeholders. The reception was opened by Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, and awards were presented by Members of Parliament including Lisa Raitt (Conservative), Brian Masse (NDP), and Gudie Hutchings (Liberal). 

Altogether, the sellers’ day in Ottawa showcased the important contributions the eBay small business community makes to the Canadian economy while also celebrating the successes of some of eBay’s best Canadian sellers.