This paper is the Canadian component of the ‘International Comparative Social Enterprise Models’ (ICSEM) project. The objective of this report is to examine Social Enterprises at the national level focusing on the context, models and institutions of Social Enterprises in Canada. The analysis shows regional differences in the historical development and conceptual understanding of Social Enterprises in Canada. The paper finds that five main typologies of Social Enterprises emerge which cut across the cultural and policy regimes in Canada: Co-operatives, Non-Profit Organizations, Community Development /Interest Organizations, First Nation Businesses, and Business with a Social Mission. Provincial government legislation and major enabling institutions (e.g. University Institutions, Social Networks and Movements, Entrepreneurial Spaces, and Funding Agencies) have a major influence on how we can understand the context and emergence of Social Enterprise models.
This paper emerged from the call for participation initiated by the ‘International Comparative Social Enterprise Models’ (ICSEM) project. The project aims to compare Social Enterprise models and their respective institutionalization processes across the world. It therefore has relied on the participation of a large number of researchers from all regions. Canada is no exception and a group of Canadian researchers have been part of this research project, although the paper is to be presented by Dr. J.J. McMurtry.
The paper takes seriously the aim of the ICSEM Project (2013) regarding mapping Social Enterprises models. These are:
- To identify and characterize the various sets of Social Enterprises in each country: (fields of activity, social mission, target groups, operational models, stakeholders, legal frameworks)
- To make additional or alternative groupings so as to build one or several typologies of major Social Enterprise models in the country and/or field(s) under research
- To compare typologies of Social Enterprise models across countries and fields
The structure of this paper reflects these concerns while it also tries to speak to the unique nature of the Canadian context, how different regions of Canada compare to each other, and how Canada as a whole compares to the rest of the world.
In sum, the objective of this paper is to examine Social Enterprises at the national level by focusing on comparing the sub-national context, models, and institutions within the provinces and major cultural groups of Canada. This paper is consequently structured in the following ways. First, we discuss the methodology used and present the specificity of the Canadian context. Second, we briefly present an analysis of the historical, contextual and conceptual understanding of Social Enterprises in Canada. Third, we identify Social Enterprise models that highlight five typologies of practice, practices that are unevenly developed, but present in all areas. Fourth, we describe the Canadian institutions, such as legal framework, public policies, university institutions, networks, spaces, reports, and funding agencies. The implications of our research are presented in the conclusion.
