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Expanding Market Opportunities Program

Funding opportunity – closed

The Expanding Market Opportunities (EMO) program ended on March 31, 2023, and is no longer accepting applications for funding. You may find other sources of Government of Canada funding at Business grants and financing.


The Expanding Market Opportunities (EMO) program provides financial support for activities that:

  • increase Canada’s presence in national and international forest products markets
  • enhance knowledge of Canadian forest products among suppliers and their customers
  • promote the use of Canadian wood in non-traditional construction such as mid-rise and non-residential buildings

The program has two main components: international markets and domestic markets.



Who can apply for funding

Eligible recipients are legal entities incorporated or registered in Canada including:

  • not-for-profit organizations
  • intergovernmental organizations
  • academia
  • Indigenous groups
  • other levels of government, including municipal governments

Also eligible are international legal entities incorporated or registered abroad including:

  • not-for-profit organizations
  • intergovernmental organizations
  • academia

Diversity and inclusion

In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada directed its forest sector competitiveness programs to include measures to address gender and other representation gaps within the forest sector.

As a result, a required diversity and inclusion plan will be evaluated, along with other mandatory criteria, as part of all project proposal submissions to the EMO program. Refer to the EMO Program Handbook for Applicants for more information. Funding recipients will be asked to complete a diversity and inclusion questionnaire during year-end reporting.


Types of projects funded

The EMO program has two main components.

  1. International markets projects help:
    • promote the use of Canadian forest products in key offshore markets
    • increase knowledge of Canadian wood products and wood construction systems among construction practitioners and authorities
    • promote the environmental performance of Canada’s forest sector to address market access and regulatory issues that could limit trade

    Examples of international projects include:

    • training developers, builders, architects, engineers and students on building with wood in international markets
    • promoting wood as a construction material by providing technical information and quality assurance support, participating in trade shows and developing marketing material
    • working with foreign governments to encourage the use of forest products and forest products-friendly regulations/codes and standards
    • constructing demonstration buildings that showcase wood frame and mass timber technology and Canadian wood products
  2. Domestic markets projects help:
    • increase the use of wood in non-traditional construction in Canada
    • advance sustainable development and position Canada as a world-leader in sustainable forest management and a preferred source of legal and sustainable forest products

    Examples of domestic projects include:

    • producing and distributing knowledge and information needed by architects, specifiers, builders, engineers and designers
    • developing communications products such as brochures, web sites, webinars and workshops
    • developing national-scale science and technical products that advance the understanding of the sustainability of Canada’s forest practices and products
    • developing information and analyses on the environmental performance of Canada’s forest sector

Note: The Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program provides funding for domestic demonstration projects and activities that support revisions to the National Building Code of Canada to increase the acceptance of non-traditional wood construction in Canada.


About this program

The EMO program combines activities previously delivered under three separate programs:

  • The Canada Wood Export Program (established in 2002, focused on offshore markets)
  • The North American Wood First Initiative (established in 2007, focused on North American markets)
  • The Leadership in Environmental Advantage in Forestry (established in 2007, focused on highlighting the environmental credentials of Canadian forest products for buyers in Asia, Europe and North America).

To help Canadian wood producers diversify and increase export opportunities for their products in traditional and emerging overseas markets, the EMO program supports market development offices in:

  • East Asia
    • Shanghai
    • Beijing
    • Tokyo
    • Seoul
  • South/Southeast Asia
    • Mumbai
    • Bengaluru
    • Gurugram
    • Binh Duong
  • Europe/UK
    • London

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