Why we are celebrating Prime Minister Trudeau's shirtless summer vacation

Photo by Marnie Recker Photography via Twitter

Has our Prime Minister’s recent summer vacation taken Canadian transparency to a new level? Spotted by a Peterborough family emerging from a cave shirtless, and later photo bombing a wedding in a wetsuit on a beach in British Columbia, our prime minister’s chiseled abs have been covered by national and international media alike.

We’ll leave the debate over the deeper significance to the political pundits. In the context of recent developments here in Canada, we see the Prime Minister’s shirtlessness as a symbol of an increasingly open nonprofit sector.

Here’s a list of what has got us wanting to take our own shirts off and run into the wide open Canadian wilderness:

The Canadian federal government committing to increase the transparency of its grants and contributions funding

The federal government has committed to developing a new grants and contributions standard data as part of their Third Biennial Plan to the Open Government Partnership 2016-18. As we laid out in our proposal during the plan’s consultation process, improved grants and contributions data will enable the development of innovative solutions and help Canadians better understand government spending in the nonprofit sector.

Vancouver Foundation working openly towards their commitment to openness

The Vancouver Foundation has outlined how they are working openly towards implementing the commitment to openness they made in May of last year. The foundation has adopted an Open Licensing Policy for the social innovations stemming from their Field of Interest Grants. They have also committed to finalizing their Open Policy by December 2016. The process looks like a great one: they are including their stakeholders and employees through meetings, feedback and comments.

Edmonton Community Foundation developing an overview of philanthropic funding

The Edmonton Community Foundation is leading the charge among Edmonton grantmakers by opening up their own data. They are — full disclosure, in partnership with us — working on developing a version of Landscape for the Edmonton area. The tool should be launched by the end of the summer or early fall and will provide an unprecedented view of that city's community sector.

Combined with the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s earlier announcement they are releasing their board level investment reports, this summer has become a tipping point for openness in the sector. So crank up the volume on your speakers and join us in taking a few minutes to celebrate the summer of Canadian transparency.