An Accord Between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector
Letter of Transmittal from Accord Table Co-chairs
It is with great pleasure that we present this Accord Between the Government of Canada and the
Voluntary Sector.
The purpose of the Accord is to strengthen the ability of both the
Government of Canada and the voluntary sector to better serve Canadians. We believe that this
Accord moves the two sectors toward greater mutual understanding and provides the framework
within which the relationship can develop and evolve.
The Accord document was written by a working group, the Joint Accord
Table, comprising fourteen individuals from the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector.
The Table members were selected to reflect a cross-section of federal government departments
and the voluntary sector.
To ensure that a broad range of viewpoints was heard, the Joint Accord
Table held two rounds of consultations during the summer and fall of 2001. People from a wide
range of voluntary sector organizations and from the departments and agencies of the Government
of Canada offered their views. Special effort was also made to reach rural Canadians and visible
minorities. Provincial and territorial officials and representatives from Aboriginal groups,
the private sector, labour unions and the academic community were consulted.
What emerged was a remarkable consensus about the content of the Accord
and the values, principles and commitments necessary for a stronger relationship between the
Government of Canada and the voluntary sector.
We want to thank the more than 2,000 Canadians who participated in
the consultation process. It is our hope that the Accord will lead not only to more effective
and fruitful relations between the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada, but also to
a greater understanding of the important contribution made by the voluntary sector to our quality
of life.
We also wish to thank the staff members, from the Voluntary Sector
Initiative Secretariat and the Voluntary Sector Task Force of the Privy Council Office, who
provided content and logistical support to the Joint Accord Table. They carried out their work
in a professional manner, displaying the spirit of collaboration that the Accord hopes to build.
The Joint Accord Table will dedicate the coming months to developing
recommendations to implement the Accord. This includes a plan for monitoring and reporting on
progress and draft codes or standards of good practice to help guide future interactions.
Since the consultations indicated wide acceptance and support for the
content and purpose of the Accord, we are proud to commend it to the Government of Canada and
the voluntary sector.
Lynne Toupin
Sector Co-chair
Joint Accord Table 2 |
Bill McCloskey
Government Co-chair
Joint Accord Table2 |
