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 enterprises are a key model for doing community economic development, a framework that values economic, social, and environmental outcomes and a diversity of enterprises and organizations that support local asset building and community ownership.

Some of the possible community outcomes generated by social enterprises include: the creation of jobs for people facing barriers to employment, reduced poverty, environmental sustainability, reduced crime, improved health outcomes, and more inclusive, strong and sustainable local economies.

Read more about why social enterprises work here.

Public Policy

Social enterprises are strong performers - achieving multiple social, economic, and environmental outcomes. Governments can play an important role in strengthening social enterprise ecosystem development, frameworks, and supports.

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. 

Learn more and get involved with public policy advocacy at the provincial and municipal level here in Manitoba.

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 Public Policy Coordinator, to learn more about how you can contribute to policy advocacy for social enterprise.

• m.barkman@ccednet-rcdec.ca

• (204) 943 0547 ext. 203