Social innovation comes in several forms. It is quite new, not only in Canada, but around the world as well.
Our department is moving forward quite slowly in this field. For example, we are conducting pilot projects in an attempt to do a better job of solving the problems. In many cases, these are problems for which the conventional mechanisms do not work. As far as I know, we are not proposing to replace all our programs with social financing. I wanted to clarify that point.
However, one or two principles of the enabling fund work well and reflect certain social financing principles, particularly the concept of partnership involving the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and various levels of government. In a way, it all boils down to agreeing that governments do not always have all the solutions. This is a collaborative effort. It is already being done.
Leverage is another important aspect of social financing. The idea is to find other financing sources and solutions through those partnerships.