Policy Advocacy

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Building the charitable sector’s policy muscle

The need for the sector to lead on policy advocacy has been described as a moral imperative, yet it often faces criticism that it has lost its sense of urgency and become too content as a service-delivery vehicle. Contributor Tim Harper looks at policy institutes across Canada that are teaching the pragmatic skills of building support, refining a policy “ask,” and having bureaucratic and political doors open.

Constrained or enabled? The changing role of Canada’s social sector in promoting civic discourse

Civic discourse and participation are two of the most important indicators of a healthy, vibrant democratic society. In an increasingly polarized political environment, social sector organizations have a critical role to play in fostering social cohesion, facilitating meaningful political dialogue, and mediating citizens’ participation in the democratic process.

Case study in advocacy: How national youth serving agencies came together to help government create the Prime Minister’s Youth Council

Four years ago, 20 youth-serving organizations collaborated to create and shape a small piece of public policy: the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. It is not an earth-shattering achievement or priority, to be sure, but our efforts provide useful lessons for how organizations can take advantage of small policy opportunities in the current context of a minority government.