Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society

Overview

The Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society (the Council) is accountable to the Premier, through the Minister of Community and Social Services. The Council provides independent advice to government on its relationship with civil society organizations to help these organizations address pressing social issues across Alberta.

Responsibilities

The Council’s mandate includes:

• engaging civil society leaders to explore how civil society organizations can be empowered
• consulting with civil society organizations about how government can build the capacity of civil society
• advising government on how it impacts and influences civil society organizations
• advising government on how to support social enterprises
• developing a framework for government’s partnership with civil society organizations

The Council’s Code of Conduct provides a framework for ethical behaviour to support the Council’s integrity and reputation by:

• defining core values, guiding principles and behavioural standards
• outlining administrative processes

The Code of Conduct will come into effect once approved by the Ethics Commissioner and the Council has completed mandatory Code of Conduct training.

COVID-19 response support

With their in-depth knowledge and experience within the civil society sector, the Council is providing advice on the Alberta’s government’s response to COVID-19, how to support civil society organizations to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and build future capacity to support vulnerable Albertans.

Membership

The Council consists of members who:

• are able to engage with their communities and networks and represent the interests of a broad range of civil society stakeholders
• understand, stay current and provide advice on issues related to social services, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, philanthropy and community development
• have varied backgrounds, experience, knowledge and skills
• come from diverse areas

The Council is publicly accountable and provides its membership, Mandate and Roles and Code of Conduct through the list of public agencies.

Council members

Dr. Joel Christie, Chair
Liz O’Neill, Vice-Chair
MLA Jeremy Nixon
MLA Martin Long
Wayne Chiu
Chris Christie
Fr. Raymond J. de Souza
Saifa Koonar
Dr. John Lilley
James McAra
David Mitchell
Hyder Hassan
Joanne Mason
Ashif Mawji
Michele Taylor

Learn more about the Council members

Recruitment and appointment

When there are vacancies, the Alberta government recruits and appoints new committee members for up to a 3-year term.

Council members may be reappointed for a second 3-year term based on performance and mutual agreement.

The Council may include up to 15 members. The 15 members are:

• selected based on skills and experience
• screened to ensure there is no conflict of interest
• chosen from diverse areas of the province

Two of the 15 Council members are Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLAs). MLA members provide a liaison between the Council and government.

Review the Alberta Boards web page to find out:

• if the committee or other agencies, boards and commissions are recruiting
• how to apply
• more about serving on public agencies and the work they do

Compensation disclosure

Under the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, public sector bodies are required to post online the names and compensation paid to:

• all committee members
• employees who earn over a threshold amount

Designated public sector bodies are required to disclose the compensation and severance paid to eligible employees and members twice per year:

• June 30: compensation from January 1 to December 31 of the previous calendar year
• December 31: severance from January 1 to June 30 of the current calendar year

For more information, see Public sector body compensation disclosure.

Contact

Connect with the Council Secretariat:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email: pcccs.secretariat@gov.ab.ca