Project C9-2007 - CED and Social Economy Policy Inventory in B.C. and Alberta (Phase One)

Based on current knowledge of advances that have been made over the last 20 years in CED and the social economy, in Canada and in other jurisdictions, the importance of enabling legislation, policy and programs is evident (Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Britain). The range, scale and durability of impacts appears to be significantly enhanced where the architecture of public policy is strategic and supportive. Beginning in 2004 CCEDNet, the Chantier and the CCA made some modest progress in advancing a federal policy agenda that took into account this learning, progress that was reversed by the present government. Other than the CCEDNet inventory of 4 years ago, there has been no attempt to do a systematic inventory of current policies. Doing an update is thus timely. However, it is important to note that what is being proposed is not a mere update of what exists. Central to this work is the design of a classification system codified from practice, rooted in exemplary practices, and taking into account what we know about policy in jurisdictions where CED and the social economy have been demonstrably strengthened.The work on policy outlined in this annex is conceived of as a first phase in an ongoing project that will extend beyond one year. In developing and implementing an inventory of federal and provincial legislation, policies, programs and initiatives relevant to CED and the social economy in Alberta and B.C., it will: - build on the BALTA mapping paper; - take into account the existing CCEDNet policy inventory; - take into account the work done or under way in other nodes in the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnership; - take into account the relevant Quebec and Manitoba provincial policies; and - take into account the current codification of exemplary practices in CED and the social economy