Statement made on 11 March 2009 by Senator Jerahmiel Grafstein (retired)
Hon. Jerahmiel S. Grafstein:
Honourable senators, this bill is not new news to the Senate. It was introduced in November 2005 and has been on the Order Paper ever since. I hope that this year with the assent of all honourable senators, including the new senators, we can move this bill quickly to committee. It is not a complicated bill.
Under this bill, November 15 is established as a special day for philanthropic associations across the country. National Philanthropy Days are already held in every region of Canada involving thousands upon thousands of citizens every year. This day was initiated at the grassroots level and continues to grow, lead by individual charities and organizations such as the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Canada will lead the world if Parliament adopts this bill and recognizes National Philanthropy Day on November 15.
Parliament can have a tremendous influence on public behaviour. The creation of a day recognized by Parliament would send out a powerful message to all Canadians that charitable giving and volunteering are critical to our society and crucial to all aspects of Canadian life. Each and every senator in this chamber — and I have looked at the records of all senators — has been and is actively engaged in charitable organizations. That participation is part of our private and public lives. Therefore, we should understand this need better than most. This day will provide a formal forum for charities and volunteer organizations across the country, before the end of the year, to encourage us to give more and to gather together in our villages, towns and cities to share our stories and celebrate our successes, large and small.
Honourable senators, it is established fact that celebrating these stories and identifying the ongoing need for support is one of the most effective ways to inspire others to give of themselves, their resources and their wealth.
For instance, Terry Fox Day is now a powerful example of what one person's positive actions can have on the public's desire to support great and good causes. We have an example of that across the street from Parliament, the Terry Fox statue, which we walk by every day.
Forgive me, honourable senators, if I add a commercial here, but the Run for the Cure established by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, of which my wife was a key organizer, now raises millions of dollars every year for cancer research that is vitally needed. She was most recently also a co-organizer of the Walk for the Cure, which raised millions of dollars to attack that dreadful scourge on our lives — cancer.
Honourable senators, these are only a few examples of individuals coming forward with their committees, friends and families to join in these extremely important gestures of charitable giving.
Parliament's recognition should be given for a number of reasons, but I will describe only four. First, the recognition encourages giving. Support for the charitable sector must come from a variety of sources. Direct government funding remains a primary and essential source for many charitable organizations. However, in the year of shrinking budgets and expanding needs, philanthropy is becoming an ever-increasing part of the public solution. This year charities are under attack, the economic situation is growing dire and they are living under a greater challenge to meet even last year's objectives.
Second, recognition of philanthropy builds communities and civic society. Giving encourages greater civic responsibility and contributions. When people give, they invest a part of themselves in their community and create a stake in the future of our society, bringing people together, both young and old, who may not normally have anything to do with one another. Focusing on a common goal happens to bond not only families but also social organizations and civic society as a whole.
Third, recognition of this day will further strengthen the growing partnership between the federal government and the voluntary sector in every corner of this country. The federal government began a partnership in 2002 and provided $94 million to fund the jointly administered Voluntary Sector Initiative. The VSI resulted in a number of outcomes recommended jointly by the government and the sector itself, including the largest regulatory reform of the charitable sector in more than a generation.
The Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, which I previously and so proudly chaired, examined this question. By the way, honourable senators, that is where this idea came from. It did not come from me; it came from the committee's hearings with charitable associations. That committee still has important work to do. I recommend to the new committee that they look at the whole question of charitable giving and the surveillance of charitable giving as a banking goal.
Finally, recognition of National Philanthropy Day is a grassroots, non-partisan matter and is something the Canadian public has strongly and consistently supported through voice and deeds. Studies now report that 90 per cent of all Canadians believe that non-profit organizations are becoming increasingly important to all Canadians. However, 59 per cent of all Canadians believe that non-profits do not have enough money to do their essential work. Every day, non-profits serve on hundreds of issues facing our country from social services to health care, the environment, the arts and beyond.
Honourable senators, Canada remains a land of free choices. Canadians can commit their time and spend money in countless ways but, for volunteers and donors of philanthropy, it is not only another choice. For many, it is a statement of the meaning of their life. Already, more and more Canadians rely on programs and services provided by these non-profit organizations. The volunteer sector has had an indelible impact on all levels of Canadian society.
The words "charity" and "Canada" go together. More than 81,000 non-profits in Canada receive approximately $10 billion in contributions annually, according to Statistics Canada. However, that figure is out of date, honourable senators. I do not have the most recent figures but I am sure it is at least 20 per cent higher.
The impact of the volunteer sector goes beyond philanthropic programs and services. Recent studies indicate the non-profit sector employs more than 2 million people. These organizations draw over 2 billion volunteer hours each and every year. It is unbelievable. It is the equivalent of 1 million full-time jobs volunteered gratefully and freely each year. Each and every Canadian has been touched by the work of our volunteer sector in some way and, as I have pointed out, each honourable senator has been deeply involved in the volunteer sector in their regions, communities and with national organizations.
The non-profit sector has an impact on the financial basis of the economy. Non-profit economic contribution is larger than many industries in Canada. In 1999, the contribution amounted to 6.8 per cent of the gross domestic product of Canada. Since the turn of the century, that number has increased. The non-profit sector GDP is 11 times more than the auto industry and, for rural senators, it is more than four times that of agriculture.
The non-profits make a huge contribution to our society. National Philanthropy Day has the support of many volunteer organizations including Imagine Canada, Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Community Foundations of Canada, Voluntary Sector Forum, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and the Canadian Bar Association. These associations represent thousands upon thousands of non-profit organizations. It also has the support of countless smaller charities and volunteer organizations across the country.
Again, setting aside a day is an easy thing to do. I urge honourable senators to formally recognize a special date, November 5, by adopting this bill. Should we not take one day out of our lives, each year, to honour the efforts of volunteers and those of all Canadians and organizations across Canada that support them?
Honourable senators, at the core of each faith is the eternal question: Is it more blessed to give than to receive? National Philanthropy Day is Parliament's answer to that question in the affirmative.
I urge honourable senators to pass this bill speedily; this magnificent parliamentary gesture to Canadians in the volunteer sector. This bill can be Parliament's donation to the work of the volunteer sector across Canada. I urge its speedy passage.