For the Community

The Centre is committed to the belief that an active and engaged citizenry, confident in its ability to be counted, is a fundamental component of any healthy democracy.  To this end, The Centre works with community groups and specific causes in their efforts to promote fairness, accountability and transparency.

Guided by the principle that the structure and governance of bodies adjudicating in the public interest must themselves be models of transparency, fairness and accountability, The Centre believes that the institutions which set the rules should be the standard-bearers for higher ethics and sound governance.

The Centre has long advocated reforms in the practices and structures of a number of public institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  It has been a vigorous proponent of whistleblower protection and continues to champion the individual’s right to privacy in their dealings with governments and corporations. The Centre has also provided a consistent voice calling for the appointment of more women to corporate boards and to the upper levels of public agencies and tribunals.

Over the years, thousands of individuals have contacted The Centre about the problems they have experienced in their dealings with governments at all levels.   They often express frustration over the simple task of obtaining information, much less the ability to hold government departments and agencies, as well as municipal administrations, to account for their decisions.  It is a commonly held view by many citizens that the voice of the most affected party is the one least heard in the corridors where decisions are made.  Too often, organizations in both the public and private sectors employ an overly bureaucratic culture that resists penetration by outsiders and fails to provide any meaningful or good faith mechanism for the redress of stakeholder or user complaints.

The Centre is committed to the belief that an active and engaged citizenry, confident in its ability to be counted, is a fundamental component of any healthy democracy.  To this end, an important part of The Centre’s mission has always been to help make the levers of power more accountable and accessible to ordinary stakeholders.  While it frequently approaches this task through research, advocacy and appearances before legislative committees and tribunals, it also works with community groups and specific causes in their efforts to promote fairness, accountability and transparency.