Advocacy
From Uncertainty to Opportunity, here is how to Buy Local and Buy Social
Feb 6th, 2025
BUY SOCIAL CANADA PRIORITIZES PURCHASING FROM SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND LOCAL BUSINESSES, LIKE THE BINNERS PROJECT PICTURED HERE WITH BUY SOCIAL CANADA TEAM MEMBERS
Buy Social Canada is ready to support organizations to make better choices with tools, resources and programs that can help de-risk supply chains and build resilience in local communities across Canada.
As the unfolding trade war between Canada and the United States looms, supply chains are at risk of disruption, and communities face economic and social challenges. Although the tariffs planned by Canadian and the United States have been delayed, governments and other purchasers in Canada need solutions to ensure community resilience and reduce risk.
While the current context can create a sense of fear and uncertainty, it also presents an opportunity to leverage spend to achieve community resiliency and strategic priorities.
“Social procurement is a growing practice in Canada, where government and private sector purchasers are using supply chains to strategically align with their goals. This threat to our local economies is an opportunity to stand together and recentre our priorities to align with our local economic values. We welcome anyone to reach out and access our open-source resources, training, and consulting services. We can help you to pivot your purchasing, quickly and effectively.”
– Elizabeth Chick-Blount, Buy Social Canada CEO
All purchasers can play a role by purchasing from, or contracting with, Canadian social enterprises, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), co-operatives, and other social purposes businesses. Incorporating these businesses in supply chains keeps more money circulating in local communities and minimizes risk through diversification.
As Purposeful Group CEO Chelsey MacNeil shared: “Choosing to source from local businesses, social enterprises, and ethical suppliers isn’t just an act of goodwill; it’s a strategic decision that ensures wealth stays where it belongs: in the hands of workers, entrepreneurs, and communities, rather than multinational corporations that extract more than they give back.”
Within the current trade agreements, whose threatened violation has prompted the focus on buying Canadian, it is possible to prioritize local. Buy Social Canada has a decade of experience working with purchasers to design and implement social procurement to maximize community benefits, including local procurement objectives. Learn more about how to incorporate local in our Trade Agreements Local Briefing Note.
For local governments, institutions and crown corporations in BC, Buy Social Canada delivers the British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative (BCSPI). Members of BCSPI are supported through training, tools and customizable templates to make their dollars do more for people, planet and community.
“It is increasingly standard practice to align purchasing to local, social and environmental values and outcomes – something that all levels of governments, and everyone really, can do. BCSPI supports members to create tangible differences with their purchasing power. As governments and institutions respond to a growing call to buy Canadian and buy local, I urge purchasers to seek support from BCSPI’s collaborative model that handles the heavy lifting for you, making it easy to align your spending with your community and strategic goals.”
– Kristi Fairholm Mader, Scale Collaborative Director of Innovation and Initiatives, and former BCSPI Program Manager
For other public and private sector purchasers, including construction, tourism, and healthcare, we offer light touch and in-depth services. We’ve honed our most impactful offerings into the low-cost, high-value Engage Member Package, which includes coaching to provide nimble, responsive supports. We’ve worked with the Cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Brampton, Peterborough, and Halifax; Provinces of BC, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland; institutions; non-profits and corporations on customized consulting packages to fit organizational priorities and context.
Take action
Here is what you can do next:
- Take advantage of the high-value Engage Member Package.
- Become a BCSPI Member if your organization is eligible.
- Make your dollars go further to support community when you purchase from Buy Social Canada Certified Social Enterprises, and other local non-profits, co-operatives, Indigenous and diverse-owned businesses.
- Reach out to us if you would like customized support or have any questions.
Learn from community
Continue to learn and take action with these resources and statements from others in the social economy sector.
- LOCO BC research and tools for buying local, including advice from Founder Amy Robinson on how best to “buy Canadian”
About Buy Social Canada
Buy Social Canada is a social enterprise with the mission to advance and grow social enterprise and social procurement. We offer training, resources, and consulting to help purchasers take the next step to buy with impact. For public and private sector organizations, we offer the four-week Social Procurement Professional Certificate. We provide free and open-source resources about social procurement and community benefits. We offer hands on consulting support, please contact us at info@buysocialcanada.com to learn more.
