Businesses with fewer than 100 employees made up over four-fifths of enterprises receiving support from federal government programs to support business innovation and growth in 2018, said Statistics Canada. Those businesses received 45.8 per cent of the total value of support. (The Logic)

Talking point: StatCan evaluated a host of government efforts, including funding, consulting services and support for technology development and exports. More than two-thirds of the total value of support was divvied up among three sectors: manufacturing; educational services; and professional, scientific and technical services. That last category made up more than one-quarter, or 28 per cent, of businesses that received support, but accounted for less than one-fifth, or 18.6 per cent, of the total value of that support. Almost one-fifth, or 19.3 per cent, of businesses in that sector that received support are in scientific research and development services. These businesses received more than two-fifths, or 44.3 per cent, of the sector’s total value of support.