The charitable sector and the State both influence and transform each other. On the one hand, the Canadian State shapes registered charities by imposing statuses upon them, framing their activities and establishing the fiscal environment in which they evolve. This set of legal and political mechanisms and regulations shape the Canadian charitable sector. It is this sector which, armed with attractive fiscal incentives, succeed in prescribing a particular morphology and designating the legal purposes they can pursue. Overall, the Canadian State, through the CRA who acts as an administrator of the law, defines the areas of intervention and implements the normative platform from which charity can flourish.
However, this in no way means that the charitable sector is passively allowing itself to be shaped by the State. Far from being the subject of a one-way relationship, it is a sector which expresses its needs to governments, at times elaborates partnerships with them and even shows itself to be a competent and influential speaker when it comes to the elaboration of public policies. In short, behind the legal design of charity that is resolutely apolitical, we can find a sector that is actively involved in the democratic life of our society. The references that follow reveals the complexity that regulates the relationship between the State and charity.
Happy Reading!
- Lefèvre, S. A. (2019). Does philanthropy take part (discretely) in politics? Montreal. PhiLab (Est).
- Grant-Poitras, D. et D. Alalouf-Hall (With the help of Katherine Mac Donald, PhiLab) (2019). Towards a reform in the legal framework regulating the political activities of registered charities – Four reactions from the philanthropic sector on the abolition of the 10% limitation. Montréal, PhiLab (Est).
- Podcast of February 26th, 2019 : Politique & philanthropie par Jean-Marc Fontan, ccodirector of PhiLab (in French only)
- PhiLab Interviews: Cameron H. Becker, Manager, Strategic Donors with Médecins Sans Frontières Canada, by Kristen Pue, Toronto, PhiLab (Ontario).
- Fontan, J-M. Elson, P. et S. Lefèvre (dir.). Les fondations philanthropiques. De nouveaux acteurs politiques ? Québec, Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2017, 351 pages.
- Parachin, A. (2015). Charitable foundations and advocacy: Reimagining the doctrine of political purposes. Research Paper #4. Montréal: PhiLab
- Elson, P. R. & Hall, S. (2016). System change agents: A profile of public policy-focused grantmaking foundations. Working Paper #9. Montréal: PhiLab.
- Synthèse par Anaïs Bovet