Opinion Piece by Senators Mercer and Omidvar on CSSB Recommendations

In an article on September 10, Senators Terry Mercer and Ratna Omidvar of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector (CSSB), summarized the committee’s report and recommendations. They also called for continued collaboration between the nonprofit sector, voluntary organizations and charities, and government.

Main highlights include:

• Many charities, nonprofits, and voluntary groups are finding it difficult to retain volunteers and create opportunities that appeal to would-be volunteers while also meeting the needs of their organizations.

  • Recommendation: The federal government should implement a national volunteerism strategy. This could be through collaboration with the sector to identify best practices for recruiting, retaining and managing volunteers, or through local events and national campaigns. Political leaders can also reach out to new sources of volunteer talent by extending invitation to Canada’s employers to forge corporate volunteerism strategies.

• Short-term funding arrangements greatly affect the 2 million Canadians employed by the sector. This results in short-term and unpredictable funding creating precarious work in the sector, low wages and benefits, and limited retirement pensions available.

  • Recommendation: The federal government should acknowledge that it costs money to make an impact by moving towards long-term funding agreements with charities and nonprofits. Additionally, they should support the development of pensions for its workers and develop a human resources renewal plan that promotes equitable work and ensures the long-term sustainability of its workforce in collaboration with the sector.

• Definition of “charity” and how the sector is regulated.

  • Recommendation: CRA Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector to examine countries like Australia and the United Kingdom that have passed a legal definition of charity in Parliament. This can be done by moving CRA decisions related to charitable status from the Federal Court of Appeal to the Tax Court of Canada.

• Create a dedicated secretariat at the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology on the charitable and nonprofit sector.

You can find the full article here and the CSSB report with all 42 recommendations here.