Mowat Releases Report in Response to Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector Report

In response to the June 2019 report from the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector (CSSB) Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector, Mowat NFP ("Mowat") has released a new report titled Navigating the Roadmap for Change.

 The CSSB, established in January 2018, held extensive consultations with the sector stakeholders to examine the impact of federal and provincial laws on the sector, and examined the impact of the voluntary sector in Canada. As a result of these consultations, a report was released with 42 recommendations to enable the sector’s potential to provide greater impact.

 The Mowat report provides reflection on the CSSB report with a focus on how the federal government can avoid historical efforts which have fallen short in bringing about the desired change for the sector. Additionally, the report poses the question, “Where do the sector and federal government go from here?” by exploring which of the 42 recommendations should be prioritized in the short-term and who should be responsible for their implementation. The report outlines priorities for the federal government, the newly created Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS) and its working groups, as well as recommendations that require broader sector engagement. Finally, they provide five recommendations from the CSSB report which they believe that have the “most optimally balance strong sector support with high potential for achieving impact”, without requiring “extensive federal-provincial coordination.”

 CCVO will be following any developments on the CSSB report and will report on the impact on and involvement of nonprofits in this government initiative.