Introduction
On June 20, 2019, the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector (“Committee”) released its final report, Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector (“Report”),[1] setting out its findings from a year-long study with respect to the charitable and non-profit sector and making 42 recommendations to the Government of Canada. The Report is intended to provide a “roadmap to ensure that genuine change is delivered so that the sector can reach from great to exceptional,” as well as a “roadmap to a stronger and brighter future for the sector.”
By way of context, the motion to appoint the Committee was adopted by the Senate of Canada on January 30, 2018, to “examine the impact of federal and provincial laws and policies governing charities, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and other similar groups; and to examine the impact of the voluntary sector in Canada.”[2] It began meeting with stakeholders in the sector in April 2018, holding 24 public hearings over a period of one year with 160 witnesses from the charitable and not-for-profit sector in Canada, including legal and policy experts, volunteers, front-line workers, board members, government officials, and funders. The Committee received briefs from more than 90 individuals and organizations. The Committee also conducted an electronic consultation in October 2018 and reviewed survey results from almost 700 responses from charitable and non-profit organizations of all sizes, from every province and territory, and across sectors.[3]
This Bulletin provides a brief summary of the discussions and recommendations made in the Report.
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