Research paper - Contained or Enabled: The Changing Role of Canada's Civil Society in Promoting Civic Discourse

This policy/research paper published in Maecenata Observatorium in January, 2020 looks at the role of civil society in Canada. 

Civic discourse and participation is one of the most important indicators of a healthy, vibrant democratic society. In an increasingly polarized political environment, civil society organizations have a critical role in fostering social cohesion, facilitating meaningful political dialogue and mediating citizens’ participation in the democratic process.

In Canada, the size and scale of the civil society demonstrates its critical role in fostering a healthy democracy. We refer to civil society in this paper to include non-profit and charitable organizations, social enterprises and other hybrid organizational forms. Where the discussion focuses specifically on the political advocacy activities of registered charities, we refer to them accordingly.

The paper offers an historical look, the current state of Canada's civil society and its emerging issues. Further it looks at growing funding challenges and constraints, declining rates of volunteerism and charitable giving, and finally the future of civic discourse in Canada. Examples are given of both nonprofits and governmental bodies. 

The Mowat Centre’s Not-for-Profit Research Hub (Mowat NFP) was an independent research hub of the Mowat Centre, an applied public policy think tank located at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.