The Changing Face of Canada (and its effect on philanthropy?)

Today’s front page of the Globe and Mail notes that one in three Canadians will belong to a “visible minority” by 2031, with South Asians being the largest minority group.  All this will be very regionally specific, with 63% of Toronto’s population being minority.

I’m still trying to figure out the culture of my new home country – talking about race and philanthropic practices feels subtly different than in the U.S.  There is no legacy of slavery here and the racial composition is entirely different than in the U.S.  I still see a striking lack of diversity in business and nonprofit leadership – just like in the States.  Because of a robust government system of social services in Canada, philanthropy seems to be less central than in the States, although that seems to be changing. Fundraising is certainly less aggressive here, for example.

I wonder how Canada’s changing demographics will intersect with its changing attitudes about philanthropy?  And how will South Asians in Canada make their mark in terms of private giving and volunteering?

Here are four great Canadian resources to think about all this:

• The Philanthropist
• Maytree Foundation’s DiverseCity initiative
• Imagine Canada
• CanadaHelps

I’d love to hear what any of our Canadian readers think…