Charitable sector needs ‘home in government’, more transparency: advisory committee

Author Sharlene Gandhi

In its fourth report to the Minister of National Revenue, the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS) has reiterated the need for a “Home in Government” for the sector, to help modernize charity law and regulation.  

The four working groups made several additional recommendations, including the need to reassess tax implications for Indigenous communities and organizations through a reconciliation lens; and a mechanism to track each charity’s disbursement quota and increase transparency. 

The report also calls for improving the relationship between the CRA and charities in Canada, including improving online processes and portals and providing more compliance-related education. 

The ACCS has 15 members, 12 of whom are from the sector and three from the government. It is co-chaired by Sheherazade Hirji from the Aga Khan Development Network and Kevin McCort, president and CEO of the Vancouver Foundation. 

The Committee launched in 2019 with the goal of maximizing the sector’s impact, ensuring financial sustainability, and establishing better governance within it. 

In one of the first meetings, “members discussed the importance of building the relationship between the charitable sector and the federal government. It was recognized that the CRA plays a regulatory role, but that it can also contribute to a modern vision that supports the important work of the sector.”

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  • Sharlene Gandhi is the Future of Good editorial fellow on digital transformation.

    Sharlene has been reporting on responsible business, environmental sustainability and technology in the UK and Canada since 2018. She has worked with various organizations during this time, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, AIGA Eye on Design, Social Enterprise UK and Nature is a Human Right. Sharlene moved to Toronto in early 2023 to join the Future of Good team, where she has been reporting at the intersections of technology, data and social purpose work. Her reporting has spanned several subject areas, including AI policy, cybersecurity, ethical data collection, and technology partnerships between the private, public and third sectors.

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