Why Social Enterprise?

Social enterprises are community-based businesses that sell goods or services in the market place to achieve a social, cultural and/or environmental purpose; they reinvest their profits to maximize their social mission.

Social Enterprise Manitoba is a community initiative focused on the growth and development of Manitoba’s social enterprise sector.

Social Enterprise is a powerful business model that is working to tackle the many social, economic, and environmental issues facing communities in Manitoba. They embed their purpose directly into their business model, contributing to positive outcomes for communities in every corner of the province.

Social Enterprises help grow the economy with good Manitoba jobs. They sell goods or services and reinvest the majority of profits or surplus into its purpose, increasing investment into economic and social outcomes for Manitobans. Social Enterprises are vital to Manitoba’s economy.

Prior to colonization, Indigenous peoples traded goods and services for mutual benefits and to support thriving, sustainable communities. Social Enterprise is a model and a verb: a way of doing business that contributes to the fabric of our communities and uplifts Indigenous economies.

Read more about why social enterprises work here.

Why Social Enterprises need development support

Social Enterprises, like any other business type, require access to business support, capacity-building advice, and capital. Right now, they don’t have focused support from the Province of Manitoba to start or grow their businesses. The Department of Business, Mining, Trade, and Job Creation has a mandate to support Manitoba businesses and help them grow. Supporting SEM would help our business model flourish across the province.

A huge opportunity to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes has been missed as a result of minimal provincial involvement. While we were ahead of other provinces for some time, Manitoba is now lagging in terms of government support and sector development. The Government of Canada has invested into the development, innovation, and financing of social enterprise.

In the past, the Government of Manitoba has supported sector development, including the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy (2015-18). A new and innovative development approach through SEM can learn from the successes and challenges of past approaches.

The Role of Government

Given the strong performance of social enterprises to achieve multiple beneficial outcomes, government ought to take notice. In fact, government can play an important role in strengthening social enterprise ecosystem development, frameworks, and supports.

Increased government support would help Manitoba’s social enterprise sector scale up its contribution to stronger local economies, ending poverty, and healthier and more sustainable communities.

Read more about what governments can do: Six Pillars of Social Enterprise Ecosystem Development.

Provincial Advocacy

Social enterprises, supporters, and Social Enterprise Manitoba are leading public policy advocacy to encourage government to further utilize social enterprise and implement policy to support development of the sector. 

The Province of Manitoba has historically and presently supported the social enterprise sector. Public policy advocacy at the provincial level is focused on the following areas to build on this support:

• Encouraging a Community Economic Development lens to policies and programs

• Development of a Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy to help create a robust ecosystem for social enterprises, including identifying opportunities for creating new social enterprises; developing capacity, networks, and knowledge exchanges; ensuring social enterprises can access appropriate funding and financing; and more

• Social Procurement and supporting Community Benefits Agreements

• Enabling Social Finance for social enterprise development

• Using the CED framework, social enterprises, and cooperatives in the Just Transition to create decent green jobs, increase the amount of local community-owned energy projects, and strengthen local, fair economies

Municipal Advocacy

Manitoba municipalities, including the City of Winnipeg, can play an important role in strengthening the social enterprise sector. Public policy advocacy at the municipal level is focused on the following areas:

• Encouraging a CED lens to policies and programs, utilizing the same principles as a provincial framework.

• Social Procurement and supporting Community Benefits Agreements

Learn More & Get Involved

Policy advocacy for social enterprise is the result of a democratic decision-making process through the annual CCEDNet Manitoba Policy Summit, creating a solutions-focused set of public policy resolutions and our Public Policy Road Map.

Contact Michael Barkman, CCEDNet Manitoba Network Manager, to learn more about how you can contribute to policy advocacy for social enterprise.

• m.barkman@ccednet-rcdec.ca

• (204) 943 0547 ext. 203