В Канаде рост угроз сотрудникам благотворительных организаций подрывает работу некоммерческого сектора

Bruce MacDonald is president and CEO of Imagine Canada. Jean-Marc Mangin is president and CEO of Philanthropic Foundations Canada. Isn’t “elbows up” about our collective strength to repel external threats? At times it seems to be directed against ourselves, and specifically the people working to better their communities. As our world becomes more divided and deeply polarized, we are witnessing a shift in how Canadians are behaving toward each other. In Canada, police-reported hate crimes have increased drastically between 2009 to 2025, especially since October, 2023. And people working to better our communities are not spared. For the staff and volunteers in the country’s charitable and non-profit sector, a rising threat level is affecting their physical and psychological safety. Unfortunately, the examples of threats, abuse and hate being directed at volunteers and non-profit staff are prevalent. A recent survey of selected charities from the Charity Data Insights Project at Carleton University found that 27 per cent of responding organizations reported experiencing at least one threat in the past 12 months, either frequently, occasionally, or once or twice, with another 21 per cent saying they had experienced a threat in the past. The most common threat types were verbal or written harassment (28 per cent), online harassment or social-media targeting (17 per cent), threats directed at specific staff or volunteers (16 per cent), and threats of violence or physical harm (10 per cent). Opinion: What happens when giving is fuelled by hate? The rise of retributive philanthropy Examples of threats from the survey, or that we know about, include online abuse and threats: a poverty organization targeted online by a community member and chose not to publicize an upcoming media interview out of concern for disclosing a staff member’s physical location; arts organizations receiving grants from Jewish foundations have received warnings that their events will be targeted for political protests unless they refuse the funding; Indigenous organizations working on reconciliation denounced as anti-patriotic by those denying the impact of residential schools; Muslim charities spuriously accused of supporting terrorism; funders of access to justice initiatives for marginalized communities threatened with lawsuits; environmental NGOs wrongly accused of being agents of foreign funders. They also include vandalism and violence: a brick thrown through a church window and another nearby church set on fire (thankfully, the building was saved); several synagogues and Jewish schools being shot at; in the long shadow of the 2017 Quebec City mosque massacre, recent death threats against an imam and congregants of a mosque; a Pride flag repeatedly stolen, leading to police involvement after an individual left threatening notes and drawings and approached staff and children. Of grave concern are threats to the personal safety of staff and volunteers: A hospital foundation had to increase expenses for security at a fundraising gala due to threats based on misinformation, and a women’s shelter noted abusers of clients sometimes try to “intimidate, threaten and harm” both survivors and staff. Opinion: Hate absolutely has its place in Canada. It has been normalized, ignored and excused The consequences of this treatment of non-profit staff and volunteers are far-reaching. Imagine Canada’s polling shows that eight in 10 Canadians view the services provided by charities as essential. Healthy communities include a vibrant and strong non-profit sector delivering services that benefit millions of Canadians every single day. The ability of organizations to continue to deliver these services is negatively affected, as the joy of contributing and volunteering, and the satisfaction of paid staff working in their communities, is undermined. Potential disruption to donations weakens our social fabric, and volunteer retention and staff burn-out are becoming increasingly widespread issues. In a democracy, it is normal and healthy that citizens will hold very different views of what the public good is and should be. All perspectives need to be expressed peacefully and respectfully in the appropriate forum. Threatening a volunteer or a not-for-profit is never an acceptable form of political expression. Real people get hurt. Real organizations are shaken in their ability to continue their mission. Real communities are left poorer, divided and fearful. The Canada that we have built together is one where charities and non-profits are community-driven, trusted, valued and recognized as essential partners in building thriving and diverse communities. They can’t do that if their staff and volunteers feel threatened or diminished. In the face of these threats, we call on all Canadians to support the very people who are working for the betterment of our communities.