Newfoundland and Labrador along with Quebec are the least generous among provinces...
However, compared to Americans, Canadians are far less generous. When all 64 North American jurisdictions measured are compared, Manitoba, Canada’s highest ranked jurisdiction ranks 37th on the generosity index while Ontario is 45th. Canadian provinces and territories occupy 12 of the bottom 20 spots.
This is an absolute dismal shame. It's a sad story that no one in the MSM picks up on: Canucks don't contribute to charities as much as Americans.
Part of the reason of course must be attributed to our higher tax rates which equate to less disposable income than our American cousins. But this difference I argue can't entirely accounted for by this reason alone. A higher percentage of Americans contribute to Charities than Canadians.
I think us Canadians have bought too much into the "Scrooge" mentality: why should I give if my taxes to the poor that's what "poor taxes" are for?... We spend so much on public services in this country that I think many of us figure that so long as they fight for good Leftish policies - for "poor houses" - they don't need to contribute to private charities.
I am not certain of this but from a personal point of view, we do not claim the small stuff. The tax laws make it a, why bother?
ReplyDeleteFrom a personal time donated, we would donate, 20 hours a month,easy. (AB.)
It could also be the great number of places asking for money. I live in a small city and I would say every 2 weeks I get a phone call or a door-to-door visit from various agencies (some Canada-wide, some World-wide, some local). I have my own family of 3 children to feed, donate monthly to World Vision, sponsor a child every year to go to camp in Calgary, as well as donate at least twice a year to the Canadian Cancer Society (sponsoring friends who enter the races). On top of that, regular donations of food, clothing, pop cans, and baby items to local 2nd hand stores.
ReplyDeleteBut technically I am only giving to 2 Canadian charities that leave a clear paper trail. So I would say it also depends on how that index is set up. In my city, the donation bins are always overflowing (second hand items), the Salvation Army truck is booked at least 6-8 weeks ahead all the time, Value Village, the Post and Sally Ann are exploding at the seams with donated goods, etc.
What I have heard has a decline recently is the local Food bank. But with the cost of food these days it does not surprise me. $10 for a small bag of flour that was $4 not long ago? In my mind, I know for fact that those on Welfare get money every month for 'Core Needs' that they are supposed to be using on food and supplies like toilet paper and tooth paste, so no, I do not give to that organization as much. The govt programs already help with that. I give to things that the govt does not necessarily distribute money to regularly.
People are stretched pretty thinly. It may be because we pay higher taxes, plus some provinces have sales tax and have to pay health care premiums (BC and ON) on top of that, and extended health, and so on. Hard to say. I know for me, it's much easier to pass on my second hand items that are still in good shape than it is to hand over cash, so my donation and support of charities does not go on record that those indexes could find. I run the local Freecycle group with a co-owner and we have several hundred members and items are being passed along to needy families on a daily basic. That does not get added to the 'donation index' either. So that's just something to think about. Are Canadians really behind or do they do it in physical labour and donations of items rather than forking over their pocket book?