Drawn from 58 organizations

The Case for a Canadian
Democracy Coalition

Over 7 months, 58 organizations whose work shapes and depends on Canadian democracy shared their diagnosis, their frustrations, and their proposals. This is what they said, what the evidence shows, and what to build next.

58 organizations
interviewed
67 hours of recorded
conversation
479,624 words of
transcript
383 quotes
captured

What 58 organizations told us

"A couple of people in a very tiny dinghy in the middle of a big storm in the middle of the ocean."
Portrait mosaic of the interview participants from the Canadian democracy listening exercise.
58 organizations. 67 hours of conversation.

Acknowledgements

Produced by Joneslee Consulting Inc. (formerly Steve S.J. Lee Consulting Inc.) | April 2026

Supported by the Catherine Donnelly Foundation and the Euphrosine Foundation

Co-designed with

Co-designers seated around a table at the in-person review session in Toronto.
Co-designers at the in-person review session, December 2025

We are grateful to the organizations across Canada's democracy sector that participated in this listening exercise and generously shared their time, experience, and insights.

We are grateful for the support of the Catherine Donnelly Foundation and the Euphrosine Foundation.

This work took place across Turtle Island, on the lands and waters of many Indigenous Nations. We acknowledge the enduring presence, rights, and responsibilities of Indigenous Peoples, and we offer respect and gratitude to the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities whose territories and relationships continue to sustain this place.

A special acknowledgement: Amanda Munday initiated this exercise, did the work to get it funded, and then participated in it as an equal peer. She joined the process as an interview participant and co-designer, without trying to control the analysis or the outcomes. Thank you, Amanda.