MP Eric St-Pierre tabled the petition calling for a Canada Day of Appreciation for the Nonprofit Sector in the House of Commons. The petition has garnered 1,377 signatures from Canadians in every province and territory—a strong demonstration of national support for recognizing the people and organizations that strengthen our communities and contribute so much to Canada.
But tabling the petition is not the finish line. It is the beginning of the next phase.
Now Canada’s nonprofit leaders need to make their voices heard.
This is particularly timely because Imagine Canada has also launched a national campaign focused on strengthening recognition and support for Canada’s nonprofit sector. Together, these efforts provide an important opportunity to make the contribution of the nonprofit sector impossible to ignore.
The Bhayana Family Foundation is asking nonprofit leaders across Canada to take three actions:
1. Share the news on social media
Please let your networks know that the petition has been tabled in Parliament.
Share the news through LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms and encourage your staff, boards, volunteers and supporters to do the same.
Suggested message:
A historic moment for Canada’s nonprofit sector!
The petition calling for a Canada Day of Appreciation for the Nonprofit Sector, with 1,377 signatures from every province and territory, has now been tabled in the House of Commons by MP Eric St-Pierre.Canada’s 170,000 nonprofits employ 2.9 million people and engage 10 million volunteers, contributing an estimated 8.4% of Canada’s GDP. Canadians depend on this sector every day.
It is time to see them, thank them and appreciate them.
#CanadaNonprofitDay #ThankANonprofit #InvisibleChampions
Please feel free to adapt the message and make it your own.
2. Contact your Member of Parliament
Please write, call or email your MP and ask them to support the creation of a National Day/Week of Appreciation for the Nonprofit Sector.
If possible, ask for a meeting with your MP or their constituency staff.
A personal visit to your MP’s constituency office can be particularly powerful. Nonprofit leaders sitting across the table from their elected representatives, explaining why recognition matters, can turn this from an idea into a national movement.
Take your organization’s story with you. Explain:
- what your organization contributes to your community;
- how many people you employ or volunteers you engage;
- the Canadians you serve;
- why recognition matters to your staff and volunteers; and
- why you believe Canada should formally recognize the nonprofit sector.
3. Amplify Imagine Canada’s Campaign
You are also encouraged to follow, share and participate in Imagine Canada’s national campaign and use your organization’s platforms to reinforce the broader message that Canada’s nonprofit sector is essential to our economy, our communities and our quality of life.
The more consistently the sector speaks with one voice, the harder it becomes for decision-makers to overlook the sector.
This is our moment.
For decades, governments have relied on nonprofits to deliver essential services, respond to community needs and strengthen Canada’s social infrastructure.
Recognition must accompany reliance.
The people who do this work are Canada’s Invisible Champions. They deserve to know that their country sees the contribution they make.
The petition has now reached Parliament.
Let’s make sure Parliament hears from the people who lead and work in this sector every day.
Share this message with your colleagues, boards, networks and nonprofit partners across Canada.
