The federal government might be preparing to release its 2023 budget, but changemakers are already looking ahead to 2024.

Imagine Canada will bring together as many as 50 organizations representing 12 non-profit sub-sectors — such as culture and recreation, social services, climate and international development — for a two-day conversation this April. The goal? To better articulate a collaborative approach to sector advocacy in advance of next year’s federal budget.

Bruce MacDonald, CEO of Imagine Canada, said the non-profit sector is often disappointed by federal budgets, which fail to address issues like core funding. “And I think in part it’s because we’ve not had an intentionally focused strategy to influence the federal budget.”

The informal coalition will collectively advocate for government adoption of recommendations developed during its April meeting, MacDonald said. The group may also hold a “Hill Day” towards the end of September, meeting with federal politicians and senior bureaucrats to discuss issues in person.

“We would also work together to appear before the House finance committee,” he said. “And often the finance committee travels the country in the fall to hear about the budget, so we would coordinate appearances so that they hear similar messages.”

In most years, the first draft of the federal budget is completed in December, making now the time to focus on 2024, MacDonald said. 

Connie Côté, CEO of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada, hopes the budding coalition will strengthen the charitable sector and build awareness around the crucial role non-profits play in Canada’s economy.

Eight per cent of the country’s gross domestic product is generated by the not-for-profit sector, she said.

“In the charitable sector we’re all about helping others, but sometimes we also need help,” said Côté. “So the question to answer is, how do we have a voice around government interventions and policies that enable charities to work to their maximum potential?”

Many issues, such as taxation, data collection and funding models, are a concern across non-profit sub-sectors, said Côté, who added this new initiative should help facilitate collective advocacy and build a more constructive dialogue with the federal government.

“We really do have a strong presence within our economy,” Côté said. “And so we want to address things such as, how can we make sure that we’re retaining and acquiring really good talent in our sector? How can we make sure that we’re still competitive? How can we make sure that, when it comes to making decisions around funding … there’s an understanding of the important role the charitable, not-for-profit and social impact sector has in the economy.”

Cathy Taylor, current chair of the Federation of Non-Profit Networks and executive director of the Ontario Nonprofit Network, believes the upcoming gathering offers a valuable opportunity to take stock of recent federal budgets, as well as a chance to evaluate Covid-19’s impact on the non-profit sector as a whole.

“We’re a big country and nothing replaces getting together face-to-face and really chatting through the issues, talking about what we’re learning and what happened in the pandemic and where we need to go as a sector,” said Taylor. “I think there’s such richness in that dialogue.”

A common approach to issues around social financing, inflation, regulatory frameworks and non-qualified donees could be very helpful in shifting policies at the federal level, she said.

“I also think there are some broader societal issues that — whether we’re an arts organization or sports charity or social service — we really care about, such as climate change and commitments to equity,” Taylor said. “So it will be interesting to see where there might be some traction with the government in terms of those bigger societal issues as we work collectively.”

The ad hoc coalition has taken inspiration from the Green Budget Coalition, which brings together 21 Canadian environmental organizations to collaboratively develop, refine, and promote a comprehensive set of detailed, strategic recommendations for the annual federal budget.

“It doesn’t mean we have a single voice and it doesn’t mean that we have consensus on everything,” Taylor said. “But there is some cohesiveness and we can use that to advance some of these issues federally.”

MacDonald said it’s too early to speculate on what will come out of the group’s first meeting next month, adding Imagine Canada will act as “a receptacle for feedback” but has no agenda of its own.

“This is a genuine process of building something together,” he said.

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