A Dedicated Secretariat for the Charitable Sector in the Federal Government
Now is a critical time for our sector and country. As we work collectively to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and as people across Canada rely on our sector more than ever, AFP members have an opportunity, through advocacy, to create a flourishing future for our sector.
After significant consultation with members, partners and our government relations consultant, AFP Canada will launch a strategic, member-driven advocacy campaign this fall to urge government to create a focused entity to champion and support our sector.
Through this campaign, we will call on government to establish a dedicated secretariat for the charitable sector in government.
Despite the charitable sector contributing 8.4% to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product, we do not have a dedicated “home” in government that is tasked with ensuring the well-being and viability of the more than 170,000 charities and nonprofits in the country.
While the federal government has indicated that it “supports the creation of a single window into government for the charitable sector”, no further progress has been made since the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector’s report was published three years ago.
“The impact of the lack of a single, cohesive secretariat in government for our sector was made abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic and during our recovery. Now is the time to advocate for change” said Aaron Sanderson, MA, CFRE, ACFRE, chair of the AFP Canada Government Relations Committee.
Between September 19 and October 13, AFP Canada is encouraging members to meet with members of Parliament to ask for their support and help in creating a secretariat for our sector.
To support this work, and to hone your skills in government relations strategies, we invite all AFP members in Canada to join a special Government Relations Training workshop on September 15, facilitated by our government relations consultants Temple Scott Associates and the AFP Canada Government Relations Committee.
Please join us to shape the future of our sector in Canada. For more information contact AFP Canada (info@afpcanada.org).
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