Policy affects our lives every day. But often, people with vital lived experience aren’t involved in developing, changing, and influencing policy. The Gordon Foundation is working to change that, by creating the space to bring young people and policy experts together so they can create real, long-term change.
While access to abortion is protected in Canada, not everyone who needs an abortion can get one, and public opinion has been affected by ideological shifts in Canada and abroad. Frédérique Chabot, director of domestic health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights, talks about policy goals, framing the case for increasing access, and the need to dispel harmful narratives.
As we celebrate our mothers and caregivers this Mother’s Day, we need to address the gendered catch-22 of motherhood, writes Paulette Senior. Philanthropy must move beyond the ethos of “motherhood as solution” or “motherhood as problem,” she says, and centre women’s humanity beyond their care work – and get ambitious about lightening their load.
Artists can offer new perspectives to shape policy and tackle complex challenges, says Patti Pon, president and CEO of Calgary Arts Development. She calls on local institutions and funders to be co-conspirators in engaging artists to play a bigger role in shaping Canadian society.
In the follow-up to a piece about policy schools operated by philanthropic foundations across Canada, contributor Tim Harper shares the stories of six graduates of these programs, and their policy wins.
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.
As we commemorate the Quebec City mosque massacre, the Muslim Association of Canada’s Abdul Nakua argues that non-profit organizations can play a critical role in nurturing a vibrant democratic society to combat the toxic effects of polarization.
Polarization, giving trends, equity, HR issues, reconciliation, the data gap, the climate crisis: we asked leaders in Canada’s non-profit and charitable sector about the challenges and societal shifts they’ll be watching in 2023. Here’s what they had to say.
