Our 2023 Election Priorities 

The NDP responded formally to The Nonprofit Vote’s Platform Priorities this week, acknowledging the strain the sector has experienced and committing to incorporate all five requests. Details are emerging about their financial commitments to the sector. So far this party has pledged to: 1) Increase the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and Family and Community Safety (FCS) programs by $80 million, from $160 million currently to $240 million; and 2) Increasing the Community Facility Enhancement Program funding from $50 million currently to $75 million annually, with an additional $100 million annual capital investment fund.

This positive response is encouraging, and we will keep you posted when we receive a response from the UCP. We look forward to seeing the details of these commitments, and will release an analysis of the NDP and UCP platforms once both are released.  

The Nonprofit Vote made the cover of the Lethbridge Herald this week with a candidate forum hosted by NPV Director Volunteer Lethbridge. Supportive statements about the nonprofit sector were made by the UCP and NDP candidates in attendance. Read the story here! 

Election Advocacy 

Don’t forget to check out The Women’s Health Coalition candidates forum in Edmonton on May 13. Sign up here!   

Spar Matters launched a fancy new website that includes election asks and election resources. Keep Alberta Moving calls for increased investment in Sports, Physical Activity and Recreation (SPAR) to reverse historically low funding, and as a proven strategy to reduce health care costs and improve quality of life. They call for recognition in all party platforms, representation in government through an Associate Minister or Ministry of Wellness focused on upstream programs. To support this, check out their online letter template here.  

Condo Owners Forum has released four priorities for this election that include: Energy Rebates, Dispute Resolution, Energy Efficiency and a Condo Database, to better meet the needs of condo owners. They post about these issues in this blog, and a pdf of their priorities and candidate questions is available here.   

VoteArtsAB is a campaign courtesy of fellow The Nonprofit Vote Director, the Rozsa Foundation, to double funding to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts over 3 years. Check it out here.  

Our 2023 Election Priorities 

Get out your party hats – it’s officially election season! The writ dropped on Monday, with election day called for May 29.  

You too can experience the unbridled joy of democracy with the help of this updated 2023 Provincial Election Toolkit. It includes great info on the when, where and how of voting; priority nonprofit issues; how party platforms align with nonprofit priorities (coming soon), how parties align with your values - and more.  

Maybe you need greater depth of information for nonprofit advocacy during election period. Good news – we've got that too. Check out our updated Policy Advocacy Guide.   

The UCP released their platform this week, which you can check out here. We’ll offer analysis of party platforms once all have been released.  

Election Advocacy 

We asked you to share your election advocacy efforts and you all are busy! Lots of great opportunities to engage on issues of importance:  

• The Alberta Council of Disability Services has identified three election priorities: 1) A skilled and highly paid workforce; 2) Increased system capacity; and 3) Comprehensive and timeline data. Find out more here. 
•  The Canadian Bar Association released its Agenda for Justice 2023 - a roadmap to improve the justice system with more than 30 recommendations.  
• Inclusion Alberta is hosting a virtual candidates’ forum on May 9 at 7PM, with candidates confirmed from the UCP and NDP. There will be 5 key themes: access to and funding for key programs; education; culturally relevant services for Indigenous people; housing; and income and employment.  

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE NONPROFIT VOTE 2023 PLATFORM PRIORITIES 

Our 2023 Election Priorities 

On Monday, April 24th, The Nonprofit Vote hosted Rachel Notley to an audience of nearly 300 nonprofit leaders at The Grand Theatre in Calgary. There will be lots to come in our analysis of all party platforms, but one notable tidbit from this event is that NDP Leader Rachel Notley announced a $240M commitment to FCSS and related programs, representing $80M above the existing budget. We look forward to hosting leader of the UCP, Danielle Smith at a future date to hear her commitments for the sector.  

Election Advocacy 

Women’s Health Week 2023 is a pan-Canadian initiative of the Women’s Health Coalition (WHC) that raises awareness, inspires bold conversations and engagement to address barriers and biases in women’s health. This group is engaging in election advocacy, including hosting all candidate forums in Calgary and Edmonton.  

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE NONPROFIT VOTE 2023 PLATFORM PRIORITIES 

Our 2023 Election Priorities 

Join us! We asked the UCP and NDP leaders to present their vision for the nonprofit sector and are pleased to present An Afternoon with Rachel Notley on April 24. Learn more and RSVP here. We look forward to confirming a date with Danielle Smith in the future.  

Our sector has a responsibility to speak up about the issues that matter to us. If we stay silent, we let others drive the agenda, and we’re less likely to see commitments that support our essential work. That’s why every week, we highlight priority issues raised by members of our sector, that remind political candidates and parties that #nonprofitsvote. On the docket this week: CPAWS and the Social Policy Collaborative! Please be in touch if you’d like to see your nonprofit advocacy work featured.  

We’re also giving love to the 5th of The Nonprofit Vote Platform Priorities: An Empowered Sector. As experts in our field, we want to increase our sector’s impact by ensuring we are included in shaping funding processes – and improve the responsiveness, impact and efficiency of our critical services. To learn more, check out the priorities here.   

Nonprofit workers are nearly 300,000 strong, and our work benefits the 4.4 million people who call Alberta home. Our voices matter. 

Election Advocacy 

In September 2022, the Social Policy Collaborative shared their three key policy recommendations to grow Alberta’s affordable housing stock. They include:

1. Capital Investment: Commit $90 million each year to deliver on the province’s affordable housing goals
2.  Resiliency: Review operating agreements with service providers to better understand appropriate funding levels to address growing challenges facing vulnerable Albertans
3. Resiliency: Provide an immediate 10% increase and fully index existing operating agreements to inflation. Click here to find out more. 

Election Resources 

Voting for nature in the upcoming election? CPAWS has resources to help you evaluate party platforms. Critical issues they have identified include: land-use planning that protects nature, participating in Canada’s goal to protect 30% of our land and water by 2030, participating in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, protecting our water, and increasing research funding.  

To be in touch with your elected representatives to discuss the importance of protecting Alberta’s natural spaces, CPAWS has put together this helpful Toolkit for Effective Action.  

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE NONPROFIT VOTE 2023 PLATFORM PRIORITIES 

Our 2023 Election Priorities 

Over 100 of you have already sent a letter to party leaders asking them to make nonprofits a core part of their election platforms! We are happy to see strong support for the 5 priorities: Appropriate Funding, A Workforce Strategy, Better Data Collection, A Door to Government, and An Empowered Sector and let’s keep that momentum going!  

Election Advocacy 

On April 24, join The Nonprofit Vote as Hon. Rachel Notley delivers a keynote address on her vision for Alberta’s nonprofits.  

The Nonprofit Vote is a nonpartisan collaborative home for shared advocacy in support of Alberta’s nonprofit sector. We have invited the leaders of the Alberta UCP and Alberta NDP to present their vision for our sector. We are pleased to feature Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley on April 24 and look forward to confirming an event with UCP leader and Premier Danielle Smith in the future.   

Tickets available at this link.   

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE NONPROFIT VOTE 2023 PLATFORM PRIORITIES 

Our 2023 Election Priorities  

The 5 priorities CCVO and The Nonprofit Vote launched just a couple weeks ago are grabbing attention in the legislature! In this exchange from last week, Marie Renaud, NDP critic for Community and Social Services, indicates her support for CCVO’s work and Jason Luan, Minister of Culture, responds with support for CCVO’s advocacy. It’s great to see cross-party support for the nonprofit sector!  

In the News 

Here is the full CTV video coverage of the launch of our Platform Priorities.   

 
Election Advocacy  
 

Over the next two months leading up to the election, we’ll share what others are asking to see in provincial party platforms.  

This week, our eyes are on Calgary: The City of Calgary and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.  

The City of Calgary wants to hear from provincial parties on 5 themes: economic resilience, social resilience, climate resilience, the downtown and modern government. In the past, the City has solicited responses through surveys, but are looking to switch up their approach this year to encourage responses that are more detailed and tailored specifically to the needs of Calgary.  

The 5 election priorities released by the Calgary Chamber in February include: Fiscal responsibility, Affordability and rising costs, Economic diversification and competitiveness, Talent and labour, and Strategic infrastructure investments. They highlight meeting the needs of today while planning for long-term fiscal sustainability; alleviating the pressure of rising costs on businesses and families; supporting innovation and competitive access to capital for innovators; increasing the talent pool through education, access to childcare and streamlined immigration systems; and investments in infrastructure that create jobs and attract talent – by being a vibrant, safe, and accessible place to live.  

We see a lot of common ground between our priorities and those we highlighted today, and will be looking for win-win scenarios in party platforms.  

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE NONPROFIT VOTE 2023 PLATFORM PRIORITIES

2023 Election Priorities  

Election season is upon us!  

With a Provincial Election scheduled for May 29, Alberta’s provincial parties have a critical opportunity to ensure essential nonprofit services are there for Albertans when they need them. Last week, CCVO and The Nonprofit Vote partners launched five platform priorities help us get there. They are: Appropriate Funding, A Workforce Strategy, Better Data Collection, A Door to Government, and An Empowered Sector.  

Nonprofits employ nearly 300,000 Albertans and together contribute $5.5 billion to the economy every year.  They provide food and basic needs, settlement and senior supports, sports and recreation, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, environmental health – and more. They are proven, established partners in the delivery of essential services.   

Our sector – its employees, volunteers and beneficiaries – has a responsibility to speak up about the issues that matter to us. If we stay silent, we let other sectors drive the agenda and we may not see meaningful commitments on issues that matter to us. Let’s use our collective voice to make nonprofit sector issues election issues! #nonprofiitsvote 

In the News 

Media is taking notice of the impact and importance of nonprofits in Alberta, and we are very grateful to LiveWire and CTV for their coverage of the launch of these election priorities!  

The Parties Respond  

In response to CTV, the UCP and NDP responded to the election platform priorities and we are pleased to hear that both parties are committed to supporting the nonprofit sector. While these verbal commitments are a great start, we will be looking for firm commitments to the five priorities in party election platforms. We will continue to advocate and to meet with all parties to advance these priorities. The response from each party is noted below and taken verbatim from the CTV coverage.  

UCP RESPONDS 

Jeremy Nixon, minister of seniors, community and social services, says the UCP is committed to partnering with the non-profit community. 

"Which is why we increased funding to the Seniors, Community and Social Services budget by nearly $700 million this year. This funding supports countless non-profit organizations as they care for Albertans throughout the province," he said in a statement. 

NDP RESPONDS 

Nicole Goehring…says the NDP can't commit to the $300 million, but would support all the other asks if elected. 

"What I can do is commit to working with them to ensure they have strong stability in their funding formula," Goehring said. 

"Having them at the table, having a clear understanding of what their needs are, and a definite commitment to work alongside them to make sure that their needs are met, is a commitment that we have." 

By: David Swann

Strengthening Democracy in Alberta

As a concerned Albertan I have issued a call to all major political parties in Alberta to commit to creating a Citizens’ Assembly on key issues that reflect the public interest. My goal is to make public, before the next election (likely May/2023) the position of each political party in relation to creating a Citizens’ Assembly and thereby make this a basis for voter decisions.

Whether deliberating on electoral reform or tax policy, affordable childcare or climate change, a Citizens’ Assembly provides a strong direction to government from a diverse group of non-partisan citizens. In many jurisdictions around the world it has strengthened democracy by providing accountability to elected representatives and more confidence that the public interest is heard.

If you and/or your organization support this call (see the full text below) to the Parties to commit to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly, please write to me and this appeal will have more influence on the Parties to respond. And please pass this along to other groups and individuals you think might support this call.

Many thanks for considering this important tool for strengthening our democracy.

Sincerely,

David Swann

[email protected]