The Government of Canada is moving forward in the development of a Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy to support communities in addressing their most difficult problems and help more people, especially those most vulnerable contribute to and share in the prosperity of their community and society.
In support of this commitment, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced the members of the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group.
Selected from 189 eligible applications from across the country, the Social Innovation and Social Finance Steering Group brings together 15 passionate and diverse leaders, practitioners and experts from multiple fields, including the community, philanthropic, financial and research sectors. Among the 15 steering group members are CCEDNet members David LePage, David Upton, as well as Lauren Dobell from CCEDNet member Vancity and Nancy Neamtan, who is founder and Strategic advisor with the Chantier de l’économie sociale, with whom CCEDNet has a long standing partnership.
Over the next 12 months the Group will co-create the Strategy with the Government of Canada. By drawing on its members’ broad range of expertise, know-how and ideas, and through consultation and engagement activities, the Group will begin developing policy measures to advance social innovation and social finance, and support the social enterprise sector and the social economy in Canada.
Steering Group members will be asked to share their perspectives on three key challenges. These issues have been raised during discussions led by stakeholders on social innovation and social finance in recent years:
- the skills and capacity of community organizations and governments to pursue social innovation and social finance, including their capacity to measure social outcomes and impact;
- federal laws, regulations and policies that have an impact on the ability of community organizations to participate in social innovation and social finance initiatives; and
- access to the capital needed to fund, replicate and expand the reach of social innovation and social finance projects.
