The 2025 Speech from the Throne, titled Building Canada Strong, outlines the Government of Canada’s priorities for economic growth, climate action, housing, and reconciliation. At Buy Social Canada, we believe that social procurement and social enterprise are essential tools to realize this vision and build resilient, inclusive communities.

Buy Social Canada is encouraged by the government’s recognition that “the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone.” The emphasis on affordable housing, clean energy, and local workforce development is aligned with the outcomes that social procurement targets: inclusive employment, local economic development, and long-term community resilience.

However, the speech from the throne makes no explicit mention of the importance of supply chain activities, despite the Government having a Social Procurement Policy in place, alongside Indigenous procurement targets and other supplier diversity strategies.

Social procurement involves using purchasing power to achieve social, cultural, environmental, and economic outcomes. By prioritizing contracts with social enterprises, businesses that reinvest the majority of profits or surplus into their social purpose, governments and organizations can create positive change.

We hope to see the Government re-affirm its commitment to social procurement in its own purchasing and set targets for social value outcomes in the Budget when it is released this coming fall.

We also hope to see renewed commitment to support and develop the social enterprise ecosystem in Canada.

Social enterprises already contribute to “Canada Strong” by creating employment for people with barriers, reinvesting profits or surplus into their social purpose, and driving innovation in local economies. These organizations are natural partners in achieving the government’s stated priorities, from reconciliation to poverty reduction to equitable climate transition.

To achieve their goal of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, the Government must explicitly support social enterprises with policy, procurement opportunities, and access to stable, long-term funding.

As a national, women-led social enterprise, Buy Social Canada champions the inclusion of social value in supply chains. We work with governments, institutions, and businesses to help shift procurement from a cost-driven activity to a tool for positive social change. Through certification, consulting, training, and partnerships, we show what’s possible when social procurement is intentionally embedded in policy.

To make real progress on the goals outlined in the throne speech, we urge the government to:

1. Set social procurement targets for public infrastructure investments at all levels of government.
2. Expand supports for social procurement and social enterprise beyond siloed streams of activity and into existing Government of Canada initiatives across departments.
3. Implement all 12 Recommendations of the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group for inclusive innovation.

The Government’s vision of a stronger, fairer, more inclusive Canada is one we share. We are glad to see the Government continue its focus on shared prosperity, inclusive employment, and resilient communities. Social procurement and social enterprise are uniquely positioned to deliver these outcomes.

Buy Social Canada looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Canada as we work together to build strong communities with social value at the centre.