The 4 Senate Recommendations You Need to Know That Could Determine the Future of Charities
Last week, the Canadian Senate released Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector, a first-of-its-kind report for the charitable sector in Canada. With 42 recommendations in a range of areas, including standardized reporting, the Income Tax Act, and boosting volunteerism, this synthesis is the extraordinary work of senators who engaged a range of sector funders, executives, frontline professionals, volunteers, and public servants in order to understand the opportunities and pain points facing the sector today.
Our team unpacked and analyzed these essential-to-understand recommendations and identified four in particular that must be a priority in order for this sector to stay responsive to the next decade of societal disruption. We believe that these four areas are linchpins for how well the entire report can hold up in a rapidly changing world.
The Backdrop
Formed in January 2018, the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector was tasked with examining and reporting on Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector. This sector has incrementally tried to improve — with mixed results — what are seen by many as complex, outdated rules and a lack of coordinated support within the Government of Canada.
Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector is creative and resilient. From newcomer settlement to addiction services, there are an estimated 86,000 registered charities and 85,000 non-profit organizations across the country. The sector is also a significant economic contributor, generating more than 7 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product and employing more than 2 million people.
Click here to read the committee’s final report.