Strengthening Canada's Charitable Sector

📖 The Scoop

This report studies & makes recommendations for improving the legislative & regulatory environment in which charities operate. Introductory sections include an overview of the voluntary sector and of the federal regulation of charities in Canada. Chapter 3 responds to eight questions that need to be considered when designing an ideal regulatory framework for charities. The remaining chapters review four areas where options for change have been examined. The first area is the accessibility & transparency of the regulatory regime. Issues discussed include the availability of information in documents related to an application for charitable status or to a compliance action, in other documents, or other information that would promote accessibility & transparency. The second area is the system of recourse for charitable organizations that disagree with decisions made by the regulator, considering how the appeal process can be made easier without making it more cumbersome & costly for charities. The third area is the possibility of introducing intermediate sanctions for charities that are not complying with the rules for continued registered status. The final area examines the issue of institutional reform. It makes some international comparisons in charities regulation and proposes & evaluates four institutional models for the federal charities regulator. Each model is assessed in terms of its ability to ensure public confidence in voluntary organizations, maintain the integrity of the tax system, and ensure a supportive & enabling environment for voluntary organizations.

Genre: Law / Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (fancy, right?)