Thank you, Chair.
I have just a couple of questions for the panel, but first I have an observation. We're talking about fundraising and how we get money to run these projects. Last week, in our constituency week, I had calls every day requesting money. I had six calls on Thursday: cancer research, United Appeal, hospital, minor hockey, MS program, Red Cross. I mean, there's not enough money to go around. One gentleman spoke on that a little earlier.
I guess the question that certainly fundraisers have to ask themselves is, “Why would I get money for this project? Why would people give me money?” Because that's what we're asking people to do: buy into a project. Whether they're the food bank or whether they're the United Way, they're asking people to give money so that they can do the program. What I'm saying is that we're now at a stage of life, I think, or a stage of development as a nation, where people are asking, “Why would I give you money?”
There's another thing that sticks in people's throats, yours truly included. I cut a cheque in January for cancer, and last week there was another request for a cancer donation. That doesn't win friends and influence people. It's antagonistic is what it is. You're saying to yourself, “I donated because I thought it was the thing to do. Obviously they don't care much about recording my donations, because they're asking me for more money again.”
What's your position on this, or what do you think of it? How can you change it around so that I feel good about giving? I used to feel good about giving. Now it's more of a pain.