Time for a National Conversation about Volunteering

By Nicolas Moyer

Canada is quietly losing the glue that once held it together: volunteer work.

For decades, our society—and various levels of government—have depended on volunteers. Places like hospitals, food banks, homeless shelters, community centres and programs that serve youth, seniors and families couldn’t function without them.

Yet volunteer numbers are falling. Statistics Canada reports that only 44% of Canadians volunteered in 2022, down from 53% a decade ago. The number of hours donated has dropped even more sharply.

There are a few reasons for the decline.

First, the generation that has borne the brunt of volunteering for decades is aging out and burning out. They have done their part, and are ready to pass the torch on to younger people.

Second, there’s the decline in religiosity. Say what you will about the importance of religion today, but one thing is clear from studies: People who attend religious services donate more and volunteer more than those who don’t go to those services.

Third, shifting social values and the rise of digital technologies have encouraged more individualistic behaviours. Online engagement often replaces deeper, face-to-face commitments, weakening the sense of collective responsibility that once drew people into sustained volunteer work.

Finally, the pandemic hit some non-profit groups hard. Volunteer Canada reports that 65% of Canadian charities faced a volunteer shortage coming out of Covid.

The result? A growing shortage of volunteers. It’s happening at the very moment when wildfires, floods, pandemics, poverty, hunger, homelessness and other needs are growing.

For non-profit groups and the people who depend on volunteers, this is a looming crisis. Who will feed hungry people and house homeless people, and many other important services if the volunteer base disappears? What will governments at all three levels do when charities close for lack of volunteers? We need to start asking those questions and looking for answers now.

The timing is right. In 2026, the world will mark the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer. Canada has a chance to show real leadership at home and abroad by promoting volunteering and by investing in programs and infrastructure that give people the chance to volunteer to make their communities better places to live. And, at the same time, work with and serve others who aren’t like them, people outside of our usual silos who see the world differently, in order to promote a deeper sense of Canadian identity.

If that doesn’t happen, we risk not only failing Canadians who depend on services provided by groups that support volunteers but also failing as a country that believes in the values of fairness, solidarity, community, equity and sustainability. But if we succeed, we can build a new civic contract — where volunteering is not an afterthought, but the backbone of a society prepared for the challenges of the century ahead.

In his book Value(s): Building a Better World for All, Prime Minister Mark Carneyargues that modern societies have confused market value with human values—what things cost versus what they are worth. This imbalance has contributed to worsening inequality, environmental destruction, financial instability, and political polarization.

To build a better world, he says, we need to focus on a new set of values. One of those values is service through volunteerism. It’s hard to put a cost on it, but we know how valuable—how priceless—it is. Maybe we can all work together as governments and civil society to help the Prime Minister realize his vision for a reordering of our values by finding ways to promote and support volunteering in Canada.