Human Resources Minister Diane Finley says the federal government "can't do everything" to meet Canada's social challenges and is looking at the business and non-profit sectors to deliver more government services.
Speaking at a conference of Conservatives in Ottawa, Finley said millions of taxpayer dollars are spent annually on such social issues as poverty, often without substantial improvements. The federal government can no longer afford to continue spending money on the same old approaches and expect to achieve better results, she said.
"Governments can't do everything to meet our social challenges. Governments can't simply fund every demanded service without regard for the taxpayers' ability to pay," Finley said in her speech at the Manning Networking Conference, which has Conservatives from across the country in the nation's capital. "Governments can, however, facilitate and empower others to deal with social challenges." The Conservative government is considering a number of alternatives when it comes to the "social economy."
She said one is "pay-for-performance agreements" in which federal dollars are only paid when clear tar-gets are met. Such an approach would have the private sector more involved in addressing social challenges and delivering innovative solutions, she said.
Another option the Conservatives are considering, she said, is what are known as social impact bonds.
They are essentially a contract between the government and private investors that provide upfront government capital to finance an organization - often a not-for-profit agency - to deliver a social program. The federal cash is tied to results, so the government will pay the investor an agreed premium and the original investment only if the agreed out-comes are achieved, she said.
Such bonds would transfer the financial risk away from the government and taxpayer - who pay for services now without any guarantee of results - to the social group that will be paid for results, Finley said.
"Our approach will be incremental, it will be respectful of the government's fiscal situation. The government cannot afford to do everything and we will need to leverage if we're going to have maximum impact," she added, promising the government will still take care of the vulnerable. "We're not relinquishing any of our responsibilities. What we are doing is creating more space and more freedom."
Finley is already helping lead a contentious federal government examination of the public pension system. The Harper government has promised reforms are coming to programs such as Old Age Security - including possibly increasing the qualifying age to 67 from the current 65 - although the changes wouldn't affect current seniors or those nearing retirement.
Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence, an agency that conducts research and analysis on charities, said Canadians for "far too long" have been giving billions of dollars annually to charities without asking what sort of results it delivered.
She said her group has reviewed hundreds of charitable programs and always finds charities deliver the services more efficiently than the government.
"Not once have we ever asked what happened with that money," Bahen told conference participants. "It's time that we start to ask what happens with the money."
Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Jason Fekete
Speaking at a conference of Conservatives in Ottawa, Finley said millions of taxpayer dollars are spent annually on such social issues as poverty, often without substantial improvements. The federal government can no longer afford to continue spending money on the same old approaches and expect to achieve better results, she said.
"Governments can't do everything to meet our social challenges. Governments can't simply fund every demanded service without regard for the taxpayers' ability to pay," Finley said in her speech at the Manning Networking Conference, which has Conservatives from across the country in the nation's capital. "Governments can, however, facilitate and empower others to deal with social challenges." The Conservative government is considering a number of alternatives when it comes to the "social economy."
She said one is "pay-for-performance agreements" in which federal dollars are only paid when clear tar-gets are met. Such an approach would have the private sector more involved in addressing social challenges and delivering innovative solutions, she said.
Another option the Conservatives are considering, she said, is what are known as social impact bonds.
They are essentially a contract between the government and private investors that provide upfront government capital to finance an organization - often a not-for-profit agency - to deliver a social program. The federal cash is tied to results, so the government will pay the investor an agreed premium and the original investment only if the agreed out-comes are achieved, she said.
Such bonds would transfer the financial risk away from the government and taxpayer - who pay for services now without any guarantee of results - to the social group that will be paid for results, Finley said.
"Our approach will be incremental, it will be respectful of the government's fiscal situation. The government cannot afford to do everything and we will need to leverage if we're going to have maximum impact," she added, promising the government will still take care of the vulnerable. "We're not relinquishing any of our responsibilities. What we are doing is creating more space and more freedom."
Finley is already helping lead a contentious federal government examination of the public pension system. The Harper government has promised reforms are coming to programs such as Old Age Security - including possibly increasing the qualifying age to 67 from the current 65 - although the changes wouldn't affect current seniors or those nearing retirement.
Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence, an agency that conducts research and analysis on charities, said Canadians for "far too long" have been giving billions of dollars annually to charities without asking what sort of results it delivered.
She said her group has reviewed hundreds of charitable programs and always finds charities deliver the services more efficiently than the government.
"Not once have we ever asked what happened with that money," Bahen told conference participants. "It's time that we start to ask what happens with the money."
Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Jason Fekete
No comments:
Post a Comment