Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to Motion No. M-318.
I will add a few contextual comments and note that we live in a time that is unparalleled in human history. Information is flooding our senses. New developments occur monthly that in the past took decades, if not longer.
I remember the comments of a leading social scientists who put it somewhat in perspective. He said that a 70 year old person living today has seen more technological and related social change in his or her lifetime than occurred in the entire human history prior to his or her birth.
Business communities and social communities form, thrive, mature and decline in much shorter cycles than ever before. Boom and bust cycles are shorter. We live in a time of dynamic and exciting change all around us. To attempt to hold to the old paradigm of a top down, centralist approach that says we will meet all needs just cannot do the optimal job in a dynamically changing nation made up of the communities in which we live.
Reform has long recognized this point. It is one of the reasons we advocate that the first order of government should be that which is closest to the people: municipal government first and then provincial government. The federal government should only address key national issues. Government close to the people will serve them best.
I appreciate Motion No. M-318 because it parallels this philosophy. The motion provides an opportunity to empower local communities to best tailor solutions which meet the needs within their communities. The motion reads:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should bring in legislation making the tax deduction for contributions to charitable organizations no less than the tax deduction for contributions to political parties.
If we can provide a strong funding incentive to political parties through the tax act, why not charitable organizations that work for the good in our communities? Charitable organizations usually combine volunteer or contributed service with the dollars they receive, thereby increasing the contribution of each dollar in the community.
Charities usually manage their money carefully as it is dependent upon charitable giving. It is not a limitless supply. They must demonstrate effective management and results if contributions are to continue. The needs of the community vary. Individuals giving to the charities of their choice express the needs within the community. Their choices allow for the matching of givings to the preferences of the givers and the priorized needs of the community.
Large scale government programs funded by tax dollars do not allow the giver to choose and do not allow for variations in community needs. They are more likely to cost more and deliver less. In short the community approach hits the mark. The government approach is less than the best and often misses the mark.
In light of the efficient way in which charities contribute to the quality of life in our communities, especially considering the dynamics of the times we live in and the need to improve the effectiveness of government social programs, it is time consider changing the tax act to address the inequitable tax treatment of charities versus political parties.
We can pose this question in our ridings “Do you think a dollar given to a charity does at least as much if not more for the quality of life in your community than a dollar given to a political party?” I know what the answer would be in my riding. I think we all do. It is time to support the motion.
Calgary Centre is a thriving entrepreneurial business capital with more than 103 corporate head offices. Calgary is second only to Toronto in the number of head offices. Yet contrary to the heartless image of the entrepreneurial profit making business people, which is a picture some in the House like to paint, Calgary thrives with volunteers and charities that make for a rich quality of life in a very caring community.
Calgary's rate of volunteerism is one of the highest in Canada. Charities such as CUPS work with street people in the inner city, drug addicts and prostitutes. They train, coach, counsel and care for people effectively. Through the efforts of this charity Calgarians have seen many gain victory over their past and find joyful purpose again through the work of the dedicated volunteers in that charity.
We could take the example of the Calgary street teens program run by a retired vice-squad Detective Ross McInnis who together with his volunteers give many hours and often risk their personal safety to save the lives of young teenagers who have become enticed and trapped in the drug and prostitution activities that sometimes occur in the inner city. Families have been restored through this program. Some of the troubled youth who have been helped now work to help others ensnared in teen prostitution.
The Youth Immigration Support Society of Calgary is run by a Calgary doctor. The purpose of this charity is to help integrate immigrant second language youth in a healthy way into our Calgary community. I met many of these teens and saw their joyful faces. This is work that no other group could do in the same way.
For close to 15 years now Jubilee Christian Centre has provided a Christmas banquet for the homeless and disadvantaged in Calgary. Over the years, thanks to donations of many corporate and private sponsors, this event has grown. Hundreds of volunteers now provide an all you can eat five course meal, clothing and gifts for 1,500 people at a massive Christmas party. The volunteers have as much fun as the guests.
These and hundreds more that I could list are examples of the vibrant contributions to the quality of life that charities provide to the Calgary community. Government programs cannot duplicate the sense of community, caring and joy giving that charity work brings. If giving to a political party has benefit, giving to a charity has no less benefit. Some would reasonably argue that giving to a charity adds far more to the quality of life in our communities.
I also note that this idea is not foreign to the House. It was a suggestion made by the finance committee in 1996 which recommended:
—that the government consider enhancing the charitable tax credit for donations to charities currently funded by governments to make it as generous as the current political tax credit for small donations to political parties.
Two years ago the finance committee recommended the change we are debating in the motion today. I hope now is the time to move ahead.
For sake of time I move to my summary and note that change is everywhere. Let us empower the charities on the frontline in Canada and in Canadian communities to meet the needs of those communities. They are closer to the community. They add value to the dollars they are given through flexible volunteerism. They have heart and caring that government programs can never match.
The finance committee recommended it two years ago. In a post-deficit world it is right to give these charities that are giving time and effort to Canadians fair treatment. Let us give this process fair consideration and unanimously support Motion No. M-318.