 You
must be the change you want to see in the world.
– Mahatma Gandhi
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The movement profiles you will find on this
page aim to achieve a fundamental shift in the way societies
operate. We hope that highlighting their stories and examples
will illustrate how their efforts differ from other types
of social initiatives such as service delivery programs, education
outreach programs, and political campaigns.
As you interact with the material found on
this page you may find that the movements we reference may
not fit your own definition of a movement. We also recognize
that there can be fierce debate about whether a social movement
does, or does not, exist around a given issue. The profiles
we have highlighted illustrate what we believe are good examples
of efforts to bring about system-wide social change and create
social movement. These stories have been well-documented and
are available in easily accessible online resources.
We have a particular interest in learning
more about movements that have sprouted in a specific local
community and have subsequently been adapted and transplanted
to other communities, both nationally and internationally.
Although we have found many programs and services that have
undergone this process of dissemination, we have found a select
few examples of movements that have been successfully replicated.
We will be adding to this page as we learn more
about movements for change in Canada.
Canada’s tobacco control movement is
arguably among the most successful anti-smoking campaigns
in the world. Collaborations between major health organizations,
the government, business and members of the general public
have focused on a comprehensive “multi-pronged”
approach to combating smoking. This has included a focus on
taxation, health education, smoking cessation, prevention
and a wide range of other issues related to tobacco control.
In Smoke
and Mirrors: The Canadian Tobacco War, Rob Cunningham,
a veteran of the Canadian tobacco control movement and senior
policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society, provides a
comprehensive overview of the history and current challenges
for the Canadian anti-smoking campaign. In Chapter
17 Cunningham lists and explains the Canadian tobacco
control movement’s “key success factors”,
which include: the use of effective advocacy techniques, people
to make things happen, and a comprehensive tobacco control
strategy.
While progress has been incremental, the
efforts to build a movement around tobacco control have been
explicit and intentional. In Find
Common Policy Goals Across Perceived Differences,
the Advocacy Institute explores how the Canadian Cancer Society
and the Non-Smoker’s Rights Association of Canada created
synergy by taking risks and working collaboratively. The formation
and structure of the Canadian Coalition of Action on Tobacco
(CCAT) is also an excellent example of this deliberate attempt
to build a movement for tobacco control in Canada. Appendix
A of the Strategy
Planning for Tobacco Control Movement Building guide
provides both an overview of the CCAT and suggestions for
coalition management.
You might also want to check out A
Movement Rising, a detailed analysis of the American
tobacco control movement prepared by the Advocacy Institute.
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The
growth of the social economy movement in Quebec
represents a deliberate attempt to renew citizen
participation and fundamentally redefine the relationships
between the public, private, and civil sectors of
society. Nancy Neamtan, the CEO of Chantier de l’economie
sociale, and a leading expert on the social economy,
shares with us the importance of this emerging movement
for change.
Nancy Neamtan, 2006
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The growth of the social economy movement
in Quebec represents a deliberate attempt to renew citizen
participation and fundamentally redefine the relationships
between the public, private, and civil sectors of society.
In The
Social Economy: Finding A Way between the Market and the State,
Nancy Neamtan, the CEO of Chantier de l’economie sociale,
explains the importance of the social economy movement nationally
and internationally.
In 1996, the Quebec government held a Summit
on the Economy and Employment and invited representatives
from multiple sectors including: business, unions, municipalities,
churches, and community movements. The Summit’s explicit
goal was the development of “strategies for economic
renewal and job creation […] led by representatives
of civil society”. Out of this grew the Chantier de
l’economie sociale (Task Force on the Social Economy)
which acts as a “network of networks” to promote
the social economy within Quebec, encourage multisectoral
collaboration, and ensure that the social economy movement
remains one of the “most visible progressive movements
in today’s Quebec.”
In The
Political Imperative, Neamtan describes the successes
of the Chantier and the growth of the social economy movement
in Quebec. For a brief overview of the Chantier’s creation
and initial strategies, be sure to check out William Ninacs’
The
Social Economy in Quebec.
The social economy movement is growing across
Canada and was given significant support in both Paul Martin’s
2004 Throne Speech and the 2004 federal budget. In The
End of the Beginning, Mike Lewis explains that this
support provides a unique opportunity and describes five ways
social economy and community economic development activists
can “advance [their] work and leverage it into the future.”
Related Links:
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The Blue Box has become an icon for recycling
throughout Ontario and in cities across Canada. Having grown
from the 1981 Kitchener Blue Box Pilot Project, the Blue Box
is now used in over 3 million households across Ontario. Pollution
Probe’s detailed account of the individuals and
organizations that pioneered the Blue Box program gave us
insights into the creation, mobilization, and success of a
movement that has driven recycling initiatives across Canada.
Their report, We
Recycle: The Creators of the Blue Box Programme,
suggests “bringing the Blue Box to the general public
has done more than divert material from the waste stream.
It has helped raise environmental awareness and instigate
changes in behaviour and consumer habits.”
Related Links:
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Vibrant Communities links 15 cities across
Canada in a Pan-Canadian Learning Community. Six Trail Builder
communities act as the “living laboratory of Vibrant
Communities, where new ideas about poverty reduction are put
to the test”. Tamarack
is one of three sponsors of this initiative, alongside the
Caledon
Institute of Social Policy and the J.W.
McConnell Family Foundation.
Vibrant Communities deliberately focuses
on poverty reduction as opposed to poverty alleviation. Several
key approaches are central to the success of this movement:
- Each community initiative is unique, tailored to local
needs, and is an active participant in the Pan-Canadian
Learning Community.
- The strength of Vibrant Communities is derived from
the collective action of the participating communities.
- Each Vibrant Community relies on grassroots collaboration
between all sectors of the community including community,
business and government representatives.
In her paper The
Group of Six, Sherri Torjman, Vice-President of the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy, compares the work of the
six Trail Builders to the Group of Seven Canadian landscape
painters. She suggests that there are important parallels
between these unique collaborations that have made them “trail
blazers” in their respective fields. This paper goes
beyond a superficial description of Vibrant Communities and
gives the reader a window into the “heart” of
the movement.
The fruits of this growing movement are its
locally developed and implemented approaches to reducing poverty.
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy has documented several
of these initiatives in a series of “community stories”.
We have highlighted two of these stories that illustrate the
multisectoral poverty reduction initiatives that are underway,
and growing, in communities across the country.
- Opportunities Niagara, a Vibrant Communities trailbuilder,
played a vital role in facilitating the partnership that
has resulted in a plan to build a 40-unit affordable housing
complex. Click here
to read their story.
- In 2003, the United Way of Calgary and Area initiatied
a Roundtable to influence the government’s policy
changes to the Assured Income for the Severly Handicaped
program. Click here
to read about their successes and the lessons learned
from their efforts.
For more on Vibrant Communities click here.
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An innovative movement is developing in communities
across northern India. The Mahila Shanti Sena is a movement
based on Gandhi’s belief that women have a unique capacity
for “sacrifice and leadership” in peacebuilding.
Anne Pearson, a Professor at McMaster University, describes
the power and promise of this movement in her paper Mahila
Shanti Sena: New Womens Peace Movement in India.
Related Links:
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We are also closely watching emerging movements and organizations leading movements including:
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