Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, support the improvement of the Non-Government Organizations Stabilization Fund as a vital tool for mobilizing the energies and effectiveness of our partners in civil society.
As I pointed out before, three pillars support the functioning of a healthy society, government and the market represented by business have their role to play, but they must act in partnership with civil society, both individual citizens and their representative groups of non-government organizations.
The NGO Stabilization Fund has made a valuable contribution to assisting a subset of those public partners, but limited to only those NGOs providing critical government services according to their definition. The fund’s effectiveness and impact is also limited by being ineligible to a broad band of social and environmental and other organizations. As a result, we are failing to mobilize the full range of civil efforts.
Obviously, government is responsible for operating a wide range of services, but it cannot provide for all public interests, and it has challenges funding those programs, programs it does provide. That is where our civil partners have an essential role through the motivation to act where there is need, and to do so effectively with very modest support and to attract other sources of support.
The fact the government doesn’t offer a service is no yardstick of whether it is critically needed: food banks, food rescue, children’s sports and environmental organizations, a myriad of community organizations, really. We could all give a list of examples of critical programs being provided by NGOs, specifically because government does not provide them.
The research abounds on the leverage of huge multipliers and value achieved by resourcing NGOs with their access to volunteer and in-time services. Our NGOs are community-based and grassroots, providing targeted services sensitively designed.
Pulled from our $1.6 billion budget and growing, we need to identify significant and meaningful dollars beyond the current $350,000 to help our NGOs meet these needs that go beyond the stabilization criteria of the NGO fund. We should also look to providing a mechanism that goes beyond a one-time annual process. In many cases, our NGOs step forward immediately in response to new and emerging needs, and even crises. We need to be equally flexible and responsive when our NGOs step up to confront urgent new demands.
Let’s recognize the work of our amazing volunteer community and the service to society that they provide. I will be working with my colleagues through committee for an overhaul and expansion of the NGO Stabilization Fund program. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
