Mr. Paul Macmillan 
Deloitte's Global Public Sector Industry Leader and
Co-Author of Solution Revolution

The Solution Revolution: How Business, Government, and Social Enterprises Are Teaming Up to Solve Society's Toughest Problems

Paul Macmillan, Deloitte’s Toronto-based Global Public Sector Industry Leader, and William D. Eggers, Deloitte’s Global Public Sector Research Leader, have travelled the world over the past two years to speak with business, government, and not-for-profit leaders to explore how the public and private sectors are converging to address our toughest social challenges. What they found might surprise you. Where tough societal problems persist, citizens, social enterprises, and yes, even businesses, are relying less and less on government-only solutions. More likely, they are crowd funding, ride-sharing, app-developing or impact-investing to design lightweight solutions for seemingly intractable problems. By studying inspirational leaders and innovative organizations, Paul and Bill propose a framework for how leaders in all sectors can work together to accelerate what they call the ‘Solution Economy.’ Multibillion dollar markets are forming around social problem solving.
 
Yet, this wave of disruptive change is not well understood in Canada. While our country occupies an enviable place in the world, ranking 4th in social progress, 6th in life satisfaction and 11th in GDP per capita, we face tough challenges. Canadian governments spent $57B on interest payments last year. The gross national debt grows 9% annually at a time when GDP grows less than 2%.  The OECD estimates that close to 20 percent of our GDP -- $345B annually – goes to public social expenditure. While employers face chronic skills shortages, 1.3 million Canadians are out of work.  And despite government’s best efforts, Canadian productivity continues to fall relative to our largest trading partner. From social services to education to employment, Canadians are at a crossroads. What can we do differently? 
 
Paul will be traveling the country this fall to meet with Canadian business and government leaders and share how they can nurture and grow the Solution Economy.