Mr. Speaker, the last time I was here, I talked about philanthropic organizations. I spoke from the heart about my bill, C-399, for 15 minutes. I was very clear and I never looked at my notes. This subject is very important to me. Yesterday I mentioned that it was "Madeleine Nadeau's bill"; Madeleine Nadeau was my grandmother.
Today I am going to take another tack and ask everyone to be patient. I am going to go at this point by point because it is important to paint a picture of the situation.
National Philanthropy Day is important, but, for me, it is the first stage. In the strategic planning of a responsible government, it is important not just to thank people, but also to adopt a vision and put specific measures in place.
The purpose of National Philanthropy Day is to increase public awareness of charitable activities and to thank people who make donations throughout the year, not just those who give money, but also those who offer some of their time on a volunteer basis.
A Statistics Canada study based on 2010 data confirms that the number of Canadians who donate to charities has stagnated since 2007, which is troubling. The volume of donations has also not increased, despite the greater need for services. As for volunteer hours, the same study shows that, despite an increase in the number of people who do volunteer work, the number of hours has not changed.
Failing an adequate number of donors and volunteers, charities will be unable to provide essential services to the communities we live in. It is therefore essential to put tools and mechanisms in place to help these organizations continue to offer their services. In a way, these organizations are our last resort.
Since macroeconomic statistics do not provide a clear idea of the pressures many Canadians are under, let us consider some more telling figures. In 2011, approximately 3.5 million Canadians, nearly one in 10, were living in poverty; that is enormous. According to Food Banks Canada's 2011 report, no less than 850,000 people—that is almost one million—used food banks in March 2011. That is a 25% increase over the figures observed before the 2008-09 recession.
The European economy could go back into recession and that of the United States is still very fragile. Emerging markets are also slowing down. Consequently, people who are vulnerable are increasingly so.
The Canadian economy does not operate in isolation. We are subject to everything that goes on around the world. The pressures on food banks and other charities, which are straining to make ends meet, will rise further. Despite the increase in demand, the supply of assistance to charities could unfortunately be limited. Most charities depend to a large degree on government financial assistance. Those organizations will have to fight for the essential funding to maintain their activities.
In short, today I believe we have to ask ourselves two basic questions about National Philanthropy Day. First, why is it important to recognize National Philanthropy Day? Second, what more can the government do to assist this essential sector?
The answer to the first question is quite clear. This kind of day obviously costs the government very little and can generate big returns. On the one hand, National Philanthropy Day is an occasion to encourage Canadians to do volunteer work, to make donations and simply to say thank you. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity to pay tribute to major donors, to philanthropists and to local volunteers for the services they provide to the community.
The second question is much more specific and more complicated. First, we must determine what the organizations need. Imagine Canada and other organizations have asked that question many times and have made demands to the government. For example, in August 2011, they proposed an increased tax credit for charitable donations. This proposal is currently under review, but it is not clear whether the government will agree to it.
The sector also asked us to ease the limits on political activities that the Conservative government set in 1986. It is still is trying to do that here, and it has almost succeeded. No matter what the government may think, political activities are important to this sector. They are often the only way to be heard amidst the flood of claims and lobbying from the private sector.
I have an example. A mining company opens in a region where people are very poor and rely on the existing services. For contractual reasons and all kinds of other reasons, this company does not fulfill its commitments. It pollutes, destroys and does not give back what it should to the community. The community ends up just as poor as it ever was. The only collective recourse it has is to get together, create an organization that will inform officials about the issue and that will promote the community's interests.
However, this government has decided that this organization must absolutely not be involved in any kind of politics. But it knows the local issues. That is how the community can represent itself.
Let us look at the private sector. In 2011, about $26 billion was spent on lobbying. Let us assume that the volunteer sector spent 10% of its total expenses of $10.6 billion, which represents about $1 billion. What did it spend this billion dollars on? To inform the government about existing problems. And what was done with the $26 billion? It was spent on advertising, providing misinformation and on spinning the situation.
People who have problems also have the solutions, and they are the ones who do something about it. They are also the ones invited to be in government, to stand for election, and they have lived the reality.
In closing, let us consider the mammoth budget implementation bill that was introduced in the spring and which would crack down on expenses related to political activities. I just cannot imagine that, nor can charities. We have to start thinking more strategically in order to ensure that the sector is strong.
That is why I introduced Bill C-399. It conveys the message that a national philanthropy day is a good thing and that it is important. Our position will not change. We are grateful and thankful, every day, that people who are victims can receive services, and that the poor are lifted out of poverty through the great generosity of volunteers. Introducing the bill is a way of saying that we want to take this one step further. The government has to take responsibility and do more.
Today, our position is that a national philanthropy day is important. However, the matter is not closed. There are the demands of the organizations and volunteers, but, above all, there are the demands of the people who are not satisfied with current services, whether they are private or public services, because of budget cuts. People are tightening their belts, people are starving, people no longer have the resources to move forward. We want a strong country that can move forward in the future. It is our responsibility to provide the tools.
Yes, philanthropy day is important, but we need a global vision.
