Policymakers have expressed interest in learning from peers that have already begun to support inclusive business. To support this request for knowledge-sharing, the G20 Global Platform on Inclusive Business developed a series of short pieces that examine the motivations, institutional coordination mechanisms, priorities and challenges that countries face as they support inclusive business.

Canada has a growing pool of socially-oriented business policies, many of them focused on social enterprises.  As laid out in Canada’s 2015 Economic Action Plan, the Canadian government is committed to supporting social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions and in 2015 announced the implementation of a social finance accelerator initiative to help develop promising social finance proposals.

The Canadian government is interested in social enterprises because they have economic impact, address employment barriers, work locally, create jobs, fight poverty, work with diverse communities, and are developing new enterprises. The term “inclusive business” is recognized by some in the government and is commonly grouped into the overarching social economy agenda.

The case study below elaborates the motivations, institutional coordination mechanisms, priorities and challenges that Canada faces in terms of supporting inclusive business.

Read the full country case study (pdf).