Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association. From the Introduction: "This paper draws on the actor-centred institutional literature to examine change – and resistance to change – in the federal regulation of Canada’s charitable sector. … The paper first outlines how the evolution in ideas about regulation, particularly the recent interest in responsive and smart regulation, apply to the third sector.

The purpose of this 122 page study is to critically examine the options for regulatory reforms that have been presented in various reports and studies. In particular, the proposal for the establishment of an independent, quasi-judicial charity commission, as well as the Broadbent Report’s recommendation of a VSC, will be considered in some detail. The various other proposals for legislative reform presented in Working Together will also be considered and evaluated.

McCully presents part 2 of his article that addresses the impact of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act on non-profit organizations and charities.

A Report of the 2001 National Dialogue on Charities and Advocacy. IMPACS launched this cross-country consultation process with voluntary sector leaders on the subject of legal limits to advocacy by charities as imposed by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. Recommendations include clarifying exactly what activities are deemed ‘advocacy’; increasing limits to non-partisan advocacy by charities; developing an advocacy code of ethics and a new legislated definition of ‘charity’; creating a Canadian Charity Commission; holding a fairness audit of the CCRA’s Charities Directorate.