The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Canadian Policy Discourse
Civil society groups, including non-profits and charities, are critical to the functioning of Canadian society and play an important role in our policy discourse.
Many Canadians are familiar with non-profits in their role as service providers, particularly where they step in as the social safety net wears thin. Charities help 11% of Canadians to meet their basic needs by providing food, shelter, aid and other basic necessities.
They also provide additional support services, including those for mental health and specific health conditions. Further, they help people to engage with their communities through activities like summer camps, children’s activities, and arts, music and cultural festivals.
Civil society organizations contribute significantly to the economy, as well, with the charity sector contributing to 8.3% of Canada’s GDP.
Alongside these contributions, non-profit organizations play a crucial role in Canadian policy discourse. They are involved across every major policy file in Canada — working on issues including climate change, education, health and long-term care, poverty and homelessness, economic and racial equality and many others.
These organizations play an invaluable role in creating solutions to urban policy challenges. In pushing forward change and crafting policy agendas, several key functions they carry out include working in partnership with governments, knowledge creation and advocacy work.
In their role as service providers, civil society organizations frequently collaborate with governments to deliver a range of services to citizens. For example, the City of Toronto relies on non-profits to deliver hundreds of community services — including social housing, children’s services, employment services and arts and cultural programming among many others.
As we heard from Munk alumni from Woodgreen Community Services, the United Way, the Urban Economy Forum, and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, civil society organizations play an important role in policy work by creating knowledge, reacting to political developments, and providing recommendations to all orders of government.
According to Imagine Canada, two-thirds of charities are involved in some form of public policy activity. Their direct, on-the-ground experience provides them with insight into the realities of issues, uniquely placing them to advocate for their causes and beneficiaries. Thanks to their close relationships, charities possess knowledge and expertise on those who are impacted by the issues and causes they champion. As a result, these organizations offer a perspective unparalleled by many other policy actors.
In the face of complex urban policy issues, finding viable solutions is a major challenge. Civil society groups approach problems differently than governments, offering unique and deeply informed perspectives. Collaboration between governments and civil society organizations is vital to develop innovative solutions to urban policy issues
