EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

CanWed (Canadian Wedding & Event Professionals), a not-for-profit initiative, was founded as the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 continues to ravage the Canadian Wedding and Events industry. Our primary purpose is to be the voice of wedding and event professionals, working closely with all levels of government with a goal of garnering meaningful financial support not debt as we continue to struggle during this time.

We support gathering limits and safety measures during these unprecedented times. We hope that when we can come together in large groups again, our businesses in the industry of hope and love will have survived. This industry, like many others, continues to suffer catastrophic losses due to lockdowns and restrictions. When the pandemic ends, the Wedding and Event Industry will take longer to recover. Canada’s wedding and event professionals need the Governments’ help now and in the coming months/year. CanWed has engaged the services of a Government Relations firm to help bring our blight to the MPs and MPPs/MLPs that help determine financial support.

Our struggle will continue until there is meaningful immunity to COVID-19 and for up to a year beyond. Our goal of advocating for the wedding and events industry will remain the same even as our focus changes from helping our businesses survive through the pandemic to rebuilding after. We know that even once a vaccine is distributed, our industry will continue to face unique challenges.

We would like to:

• Actively seek a roadmap and clarity for safe reopening.
• Encourage and make it easy for business owners to lobby their MPs and MPPs/MLPs
• Educate the media and general public to recognize wedding businesses as valuable and competent contributors to the Canadian economy.
• Research and analyze sector data and collecting new data to gain a better understanding of the make-up and worth of the Canadian wedding sector.
• Liaison with Provincial and Federal government on the need for clarity and improved communication, and a package of measures to restore consumer confidence in the ability of our sector to navigate safely to the other side of the pandemic.

Our group is comprised of wedding and event professionals, businesses, groups, and associations from across the country. Each province/territory will have its own voice to reflect its unique situation. We have no paid staff. Everyone that is a part of CanWed is a volunteer. All proceeds from current memberships and fundraising will be used to employ the lobbying firm hired to help us. If you would like to contribute in any way – time, skills, money, etc – to our cause, we welcome your support!