Sure. Thank you.
In 2019 the Senate produced a report, “Catalyst For Change”, and the number one recommendation in that report is that Canada invest in the development of a national volunteer action strategy. Over the last three years, since the pandemic has hit, we've seen significant impacts to volunteering infrastructure across the country.
In the 2022 November business conditions survey from Statistics Canada, 65% of organizations surveyed indicated that they've had difficulty recruiting or retaining volunteers. That has meant that, of those surveyed, 35% of organizations have had to reduce or close programs altogether.
We have a crisis in volunteerism right now, where we're seeing people not able to return to volunteering for a variety of different reasons. Seniors have identified challenges related to health and safety. They've historically been the largest demographic in the country to contribute the most number of hours. That's a significant concern that charities such as the food bank, Meals on Wheels and other direct service organizations are grappling with.
We believe that it's time for there to be a national volunteer action strategy. That's one significant recommendation we would make. We also believe that it's important to build out more robust data and evidence about the benefits of intergenerational volunteerism and about what the landscape of volunteerism looks like in the country at this point, given significant technological shifts across the country.
We believe that volunteerism is a direct way of addressing the loneliness epidemic that we're facing in the country.