What if flu strikes charities, closes food banks, shelters?

If I focused on hospitals, schools, business or government, I would be joining a lively and useful public debate about how prepared we are, and how prepared we should be, for a major outbreak. But charities and non-profits are too often not part of the discussion.

My question is: How prepared are we to meet this potential threat to the ability of charities and non-profit organizations to deliver critical services?

Many of our most vulnerable Canadians depend on charitable and non-profits operating in communities, large and small. Many of these organizations rely on a small number of staff and some, on only a loyal and dedicated band of volunteers. If the H1N1 virus hits Canada hard, can services be maintained if these organizations lose up to a third of their staff or volunteers to illness?

What if food banks start closing -- how will desperate families feed their kids? What if meals are no longer prepared and delivered to elderly people who can't get out and who have no one to help them? What about Canadians needing dialysis or chemotherapy but who can't get to the hospital because there are no volunteers to drive them? What about the thousands of children and their families who rely on local sports and recreation and arts and cultural organizations for their activities? What if the homeless shelters shut their doors in the middle of winter?

Canada has one of the largest charitable and non-profit sectors in the world. Perhaps because it is so diverse, the sector is generally underestimated. Charities and non-profits provide critical social, family and community services, often in concert with government. Among their many other activities, they help build our quality of life through sport and recreation, arts and culture, health, educational, environmental and philanthropic pursuits. They are the third pillar of Canadian society alongside governments and business

These organizations are part of an intricate system of societal supports that make us a country that actually works, despite our many economic and social challenges. Without them, those challenges would be much worse and the quality of life of all Canadians would be profoundly diminished. Take charities and non-profits out of the equation and we would not have the Canada that we value.

They are also a significant part of our economy. The sector generates more than $87 billion annually, a contribution of almost seven per cent to Canada's GDP. It employs more than 1.5 million Canadians (full-time equivalents) and mobilizes 12.5 million volunteers in Canada.

The importance of business continuity during an outbreak is being addressed. Major corporations are putting plans in place and the Public Health Agency of Canada recently announced funding for the International Centre for Infectious Diseases to help small- and medium-sized businesses prepare for a potential outbreak. That makes sense. Everyone wants our economy to keep working.

Charities and non-profits are part of our economy, too, as well as being major contributors to our quality of life. In the event of an outbreak of H1N1, so many of them will be on the front lines supporting and caring for Canadians of all ages and all backgrounds in every community. The demand many of them face is already greater given the impact of the recession and now they must prepare for the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak. What if they are not adequately prepared? We will need them more than ever at a time of crisis. This is no time for blank looks. As a country, we need to figure out how we can help them be prepared for whatever this influenza season brings.

Marcel Lauzière is the president and CEO of Imagine Canada.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 22, 2009 A11