For more than a decade, the owners of Canadian news organizations have seen a steady stream of the advertising revenues they need to keep their heads above water disappear, with most of it flowing instead to Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms. The depth of the economic shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is…

This is the fourth piece in a new series about advocacy work in our sector. 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…
Editor’s note: This is the second piece in a series about advocacy work in our sector. How charities and non-profits engage in policy and political advocacy has been an important topic of conversation topic for some time, and one The Philanthropist has engaged in through past writing, including a short series in 2016. The recent legislative change removing…
Note du rédacteur : Cet article est le deuxième d’une série sur la défense des intérêts dans notre secteur. Depuis quelque temps, il est beaucoup question de l’engagement des organismes de bienfaisance et des OSBL en ce qui a trait aux plaidoyers liés aux politiques publiques — The Philanthropist a déjà abordé le sujet dans le passé,…

Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a series about advocacy work in our sector. How charities and non-profits engage in policy and political advocacy has been an important topic of conversation topic for some time, and one The Philanthropist has engaged in through past writing, including a short series in 2016. The recent legislative change removing limits…

Note du rédacteur : Cet article est le premier d’une série sur la défense des intérêts dans notre secteur. Depuis quelque temps, il est beaucoup question de l’engagement des organismes de bienfaisance et des OSBL en ce qui a trait aux plaidoyers liés aux politiques publiques — The Philanthropist a déjà abordé le sujet dans le…

Both inside and outside of elections we are bombarded with social media posts, television and radio ads, and articles telling us what to believe about the leading policy issues of the day. Perhaps now, more than ever, we are aware that the information we see may be intentionally false and manipulative. Yet the issues we…
During the 2015 federal election campaign, the Liberals made a sweeping pledge to “allow charities to do their work on behalf of Canadians free from political harassment.”[1] Later, in a 2018 statement, two senior government ministers said that charities play a vital role in Canadian society by providing valuable services. “We recognize the experience and…
Lors de la dernière campagne électorale fédérale, le Parti libéral du Canada a pris un engagement d’envergure, celui de permettre « aux organismes caritatifs de faire leur travail au nom des Canadiens, libre de l’influence politique »[1]. Dans son communiqué du 15 août 2018, le gouvernement mentionnait que « (…) les organismes de bienfaisance offrent…
As the federal election heads into its final laps, the $8 billion/year charitable sector, which employs 2.5 million Canadians, finds itself in a significantly different position than 2015. In the past four years, the federal government has removed restrictions for charities engaging in non-partisan policy work, allowing the philanthropic sector more opportunity to promote its…