The pandemic is forcing Canadians to re-examine civil society’s place in addressing social problems. This presents a good time to probe where the line between government and civil society ought to be drawn. Civil society is understood as the cumulative actions of people, community groups, labour unions, social movements and other groups pursuing a common good outside of the state or market.
As the province of Alberta comes to grips with COVID-19’s impact on its finances, this report looks at alternative modes of funding and organizing civil society. The traditional approach of contracting out services won’t go away, but government can consider innovative policy options to support Albertans at a time when they need civil society more than ever.