1. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCORD AND CODES IN CANADA
International Seminar on Strategies and Agreements between the Public Sector and the Nonprofit Sector
Estonia March 2005
Susan Carter
Voluntary Sector Advisor

2. Canada: Implementation
Accord and Codes
between national government and organizations to which it relates
Accord as recognition/validation, guide/roadmap to how relationship should work
two codes on how guide could apply to key areas of financing and policy dialogue
implementation decentralized: each party responsible for implementing its commitments in the Accord
Introduction
Document to frame concrete work happening at the same time (on regulatory, on capacity etc.

3. Canada: Implementation Structures and Processes
3 phases planned: commitment, consolidation, construction
Separate government and sector implementation with coordination on reporting
Government
Lead Minister
Ministerial Consultative Committee
Champions in each dept
Formal accountability at senior level
Sector - Voluntary Sector Forum
- Umbrella organizations and coalitions
Coordination: Joint Steering Committee
MCC has not yet had opportunity to meet in the two years since Accord and Codes put in place
Mirrored by a committee of senior public servants, to coordinate inside government, across departments: recently replaced by a committee of less senior officials
Formal accountability at senior level takes form of including this responsibility in mandate letters of heads of departments

4. Canada: Implementation Approaches
Awareness
Information out – distribution, speeches, conferences, various media forms
Training and orientation – training tools, train-the-trainer sessions across country
Application
Collection and dissemination of examples of Accord and Codes in practice
Reporting
Annual report on progress
Implementation approach based on awareness, examples of how Accord and Codes could be used, and annual monitoring and reporting on progress over the previous period

5. Canada: Monitoring and Reporting
Implementation tracked through annual survey/questionnaire across government departments and sector
Annual joint public report, with separate background papers
Review survey findings
Review progress over past year
Identify issues and set priorities for coming year

6. Canada: Assessment of Implementation
Increased profile and understanding within both parties
Some cases of Accord making a difference in sector-government interaction
Knowledge of documents - Accord and Codes - still moderate in government and in sector
Annual reports say minority of C.S organizations see improvements in relationship
Uneven incorporation of Accord into government departments’ planning and operations
Within government, greater awareness of sector and its potential
Sector stronger with greater self-awareness and networking as result of validation and the extensive process of consultation by which it was developed
3 phases of implementation planned at outset did not drive or frame implementation because there was not body charged with the responsibility of managing the process

7. Canada: Implementation Achievements
Greater awareness and linkages across sector
Development of communications tools to promote Accord and Codes
Structural innovations in some departments (dedicated units, sector lens)
Progress on key sector issues (Accord in practice): financing and funding processes, regulatory framework, treatment of advocacy, liability insurance
Examples of tools to promote include video, information kits, training tools such as an excellent workbook for sector organizations to use themselves
Innovative mechanisms in departments include special units, sector lens, information sessions in the different locations where departments operate ie not only at their headquarters

8. Canada: Implementation Challenges
Changing government priorities
Continuity of leadership
Measurable guidelines or indicators
Compliance mechanisms
Horizontality
Absence of recognized “dome” organization in sector
Persistence of continuing problem areas (notably funding processes)
New priorities mean relationship between sector and government seen as “last year’s priority”
High level of turn-over, particularly within government: lead responsibility has changed location three times: Joint Tables, over 2 years government participation turned over by 50%
Absence of measures to measure against
Absence of teeth to ensure compliance: no sanctions or penalties when they are not
Challenges of horizontality across government departments operating as silos and across a sector spread widely across the whole country, the majority of which are not part of any network
This situation made more complicated by the absence of any “dome” or umbrella organization across the sector (as exists in some other countries)
Failure to solve particular problems is seen as contradicting the principles set out in the Document.: over the past four years, a focus within government departments on accountability measures has resulted in the complication of funding for sector organization, sometimes to the point where some organizations are walking away – and all of this at the time when efforts were being made to simplify and rationalize funding. It is the largest issue for the sector and yet it has deteriorated rather than improved over the time while the Document was agreed and implemented.

9. Canada: Upcoming Priorities/Next Steps
Increase integration of Accord and Code principles into “the way we do business”
Increase documenting/sharing good practices
Develop measurable indicators and reporting
Develop a mechanism for resolving disputes
Evaluations of VSI including Accord/ Codes
Keep sector and importance on the agenda
Apply new relationships into new public issues