Those pushing social impact bonds are taking the same approach as those profiting from P3 privatization schemes – focus on the new service being provided and hope it distracts people from the problems with the way it’s being funded.
Social Impact Bonds
When social finance is used to privatize public services, costs go up. In addition to investor profits, using social finance to privatize public services means new layers of bureaucracy.
Making sure children aren’t hungry, making sure they can see properly in school, and making sure they get help if they lose a loved one shouldn’t depend on where wealthy individuals or corporations decide to invest.
Both projects sponsored by the Saskatchewan government show how Social Impact Bonds can be structured to exclude those who are hard to help.
What’s needed is for governments to provide community services with adequate funding. And a first step would be to ask the wealthy and large corporations to pay their share of taxes — instead of allowing them to profit from the misfortune of others by investing in social impact bonds.
"Treating social and public health services like they’re just another option for an investment portfolio is risky for everyone." — Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU President
“The subsidies that privatization schemes like social impact bonds require are eating up funds that could be spent on front-line services Manitobans need.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Social Impact Bonds “exploit the most vulnerable, poorest and others dependent on public services and the welfare state” so investors can make a profit. — Dexter Whitfield
"We have exciting work ahead, full of new conversations about how to make our country, our communities, our workplaces and our lives better. And we want you to continue to be part of it!" - James Clancy, NUPGE National President.
Workers come together to organize against Harper's harmful EI changes.