Readout: Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector – May 31, 2021

The Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS) met by videoconference on May 31, 2021.

Mr. Geoff Trueman, Assistant Commissioner opened the meeting by welcoming the attendees and expressed his enthusiasm for the meeting agenda, which included reviewing the draft recommendations in Report #3. He reflected on the last meeting with the Minister, and spoke about her interest and passion for the sector. He was very pleased with the meeting and echoed the sentiment that the Minister clearly values the work of the Committee.

The Committee co-chairs, Hilary Pearson and Bruce MacDonald, spoke about the tremendous amount of work and support that has gone into each report, and expressed their gratitude for the Minister’s guidance in respect to the recommendations. In addition to the reports and consultations, the co-chairs organized and hosted two webinars to discuss Report #1 and Report #2. The webinars provided an opportunity to hear directly from the sector.

Mr. MacDonald noted that charitable sector issues continue to gain traction, and that topics related to charities have been raised several times in Parliament and in Budget 2021.

Kim Fuller led the discussion on Report #3. The committee members spoke about the recommendations of the working groups and the importance of presenting the recommendations based on short, medium, and longer term priorities and grouping these by working group rather than by themes. They also noted the importance of the “what we heard” section, which includes valuable feedback based on their consultations within the sector. Report #3 will be delivered in summer 2021.

The CRA provided an update on the open call for new members, and noted that they received over 200 applicants. The terms of seven members will conclude in August 2021, and the new member terms will begin in September 2021.

The next ACCS meeting will be held virtually on June 14, 2021.