What is the Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey?
The Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey is funded by the Government of Canada and led by Buy Social Canada, in collaboration with sector partners, as part of its national mandate to support the sustainability and growth of the social enterprise sector across Canada.
The Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey is being conducted to better understand the scale, impact, challenges, and opportunities facing social enterprises across Canada. The information you provide will support advocacy, research, policy development, and strategic initiatives designed to better serve social enterprises and the communities you work with.
You’ll be asked about:
Business models and revenue
Social and environmental impact
Employment and workforce
Procurement and market access
Access to finance
Capacity building needs
By taking part in this survey, you help ensure that the diversity, innovation, and impact of social enterprises nationwide is recognized and supported.
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Timeline & What to Expect
February 13, 2026
Survey launch
March 13, 2026
Survey closes
April 2026
Results shared
Participants and partners will be invited to review key findings once available. To stay informed, sign up for the Buy Social Canada newsletter for updates, insights, and future opportunities to engage.
How Data Will Be Used
Survey responses will be analyzed and shared in summary form to strengthen understanding of the social enterprise sector and support evidence-based decision-making across Canada.
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Policy & advocacy
Inform advocacy related to government policies, programs, and social procurement initiatives.
Support evidence-based policy development and program design.
Sector development
Identify national and regional trends, gaps, and opportunities.
Support capacity building, investment, and ecosystem development.
Public reporting
Produce a national report and summary of key findings.
Establish a baseline for future benchmarking and analysis.
Privacy and data stewardship
Summary findings will be shared with government, partners, and the public.
Individual responses are confidential and will not be publicly identified without prior consent. Where findings are presented for specific groups or regions, results will only be reported where anonymity can be maintained.
Data will be used solely for research, advocacy, and sector development purposes.
Buy Social Canada is committed to ethical, inclusive, and responsible data practices. See its organizational Privacy Policy here for more details.
Learn more about Buy Social Canada’s work at buysocialcanada.com, and sign up for the Buy Social Canada newsletter for updates, insights, and future opportunities to engage.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work, and learn on unceded, traditional, and ancestral lands of Indigenous and First Nations peoples. We invite you to consider what efforts we can all take to repair and improve our relations with Indigenous people locally and globally.
Nous reconnaissons respectueusement que nous vivons, travaillons et apprenons sur un territoire traditionnel et ancestral autochtone non cédé. Nous vous exhortons à réfléchir aux efforts que nous pouvons tous entreprendre pour rétablir et améliorer nos relations avec les peuples autochtones d’ici et d’ailleurs.