The stories we’ve been sold for decades about how our economy works have been collapsing in front of our eyes. Yet the most prominent, well-funded ideas for how to create economic opportunity and security for working people in Canada are stuck in the 1990s.
Free trade, privatization and low taxes on capital and wealth have led to economic insecurity and anxiety for working people. Their benefits have not trickled down.
Right now, our market economy is neither free nor fair. Gobsmacking inequality and high barriers to asset ownership and wealth building for working people are policy choices – and we can make different choices.
It is increasingly clear that governments must shape markets so they work for working people. Governments must aggressively push back against the economic practices that are consolidating wealth, concentrating ownership of assets and robbing working people of their political power and economic agency.
The stories we continue to be told about how the economy works are not true. It’s time for new, more accurate stories.
Solutions to the concentration of wealth, power and opportunity exist. At SCP, we are committed to highlighting these solutions and the increasingly clear evidence that there are alternatives that will build economic resilience, sustainable economic growth, community well-being, human happiness and democratic stability.
On this topic
Why Ownership Matters in the Climate Fight: An Interview with SCP Chair Jon Shell | Future of Good
SCP Chair Jon Shell discusses why ownership matters in the climate fight.
Cross Check: What are we fighting for? (Ep. 8) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar discuss the season two finale of The Gloves Off Podcast.
Cross Check: How Canada Beats Tech Influence (Ep. 7) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar discuss the second half of a two-parter on tech sovereignty.
Cross Check: How Canada Wins at Tech (Ep. 6) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar break down the details of "How Canada wins at tech"
Cross Check: How Canada Wins at Defence (Ep. 5) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar break down the details of "How Canada wins at defence"
Cross Check: How Canada’s Economy Can Thrive (Ep. 4) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar break down the details of "How Canada's Economy Can Thrive"
Cross Check: How Canada Wins at Trade (Ep. 3) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar break down the details of "How Canada Wins at Trade".
Cross Check: How Canada Wins at Alliances (Ep. 2) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar break down the details of "How Canada Wins at Alliances".
Cross Check: The Rupture (Ep. 1) | Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar
Stephen Marche, Jon Shell and Vass Bednar do a deep dive on episode one of the new season of Gloves Off.
Strategies and democratic practices to build community wealth
Building on lessons from a roundtable at DemocracyXChange 2026, this joint report from the Atkinson Foundation, Social Capital Partners, and DemocracyXChange provides strategies and democratic practices to build community wealth.
Our main areas of work
Over the past thirty years, most of the benefits of economic growth have gone to the wealthy. We want to help fix that with ideas and policies that create more opportunities for working people to build wealth and own assets.
