How the Canada Safety Council Fulfils its Mandate

In 2003, the Canada Safety Council enters its 35th year. Those years have seen impressive progress in safety. As new issues emerge, CSC's leadership role is as vital as ever. Although many things have changed, the original mandate set 35 years ago continues to drive its work.

Public Policy / New Issues / Relations with Government / Independence

Dedicated to Safety

In 1968, the Canadian Highway Safety Council, the National Safety League of Canada and the Canadian Industrial Safety Association merged to form the Canada Safety Council. The purpose was to establish one national, not-for-profit organization solely dedicated to the safety of Canadians.

The number one Object in CSC's Constitution was: "to minimize avoidable death, injury and damage to property by devising, recognizing, encouraging and promoting methods and procedures leading to improved safety, protection and health among all persons in public and private places throughout Canada."

The second Object was: "to focus attention on the vital importance of safety." Further Objects included assisting in the drafting and enactment of safety legislation, dissemination of safety information, maintaining close liaison with organizations concerned with safety, and related objectives such as encouraging research and uniform systems of reporting statistics.

CSC has always stayed abreast of developments in the safety field to provide information and resources based on the most reliable research and statistics. To address specific issues, knowledgeable staff members draw upon a network of experts and practitioners - researchers, public sector agencies, and other not-for-profit groups.

Public awareness campaigns, publications and Web sites combine with extensive behind-the-scenes work to enable CSC to achieve its objectives. The media are important allies, with well over 100 million exposures during 2002 in print alone. Newspapers, television and radio receive safety information on an ongoing basis, and interviewers contact CSC for a safety perspective on current issues. The Council's public awareness and education mandate complements the work of many other safety-related organizations.

Public Policy

Advocacy is a small part of CSC's overall activity, with the purpose to promote a full and reasoned consideration of an issue. The Council is not a lobby group, and does not put pressure on individual politicians or other organizations. Its policy positions are based on consultation with stakeholders such as police, insurers, industry, and health professionals, and reflect their combined expertise or expressed endorsement. Its role in representing safety interests is to help formulate laws that address clearly identified problems, are based on well-researched evidence and can be enforced.

CSC often adds to the public debate of a safety issue by providing reliable information and raising concerns that may not have otherwise been considered - offering a voice of reason on emotionally-driven issues. By articulating an objective, well-informed perspective, CSC engages the public, legislators and the media in discussion. Directors and members are kept advised of these activities, and relevant communications are accessible to the public on the Internet.

CSC, with its broad mandate, is not a single-issue organization. It does not represent victims or commercial interests, but takes into account information from a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the overall context of the public good. The Board of Directors, members and a broad base of partners provide the legitimate mandate for CSC to carry out its work.

New Issues

CSC addresses longstanding safety issues on an ongoing basis, working in collaboration with public sector agencies, including federal government departments, police, schools and health professionals.

A new issue may come to light from news reports, journals, research, statistics, communication from concerned individuals or organizations, or a combination of these. Following are some recent examples:

A number of serious dog bite incidents came to CSC's attention during 2000. Further investigation revealed that dog attacks are not uncommon, and injuries can be severe. When CSC made its concerns public, it heard from victims, breeders and organizations dealing with pets. CSC's position was developed in collaboration with these groups. A partnered Web site on dog bite prevention was launched in summer 2002.

In 2000, seven people were killed in several incidents related to school trips. These reports raised CSC's concerns about safety precautions on such trips. Further investigation and inquiries through a school insurer revealed a high number of injuries and led to a call for educators to apply risk management to all school trips.

Demands to ban cell phones in cars arose from public concern about drivers using cell phones. Advocates cited a report by a Toronto physician, which CSC found flawed and out of date. CSC drew attention to recently released studies by credible traffic safety researchers at well-respected institutions (University of Montreal and University of North Carolina). It pointed to laws already in place to address irresponsible cell phone use and launched a public education campaign about the underlying safety issue of driver distractions.

Relations with Government

Working with government to form and implement public policy is integral to the Canada Safety Council's mandate. As a non-government organization, CSC suggests, supports and educates the public about safety legislation, with a strong emphasis on gaining public understanding and acceptance of laws and regulations.

CSC maintains relationships with government agencies through committee work, direct correspondence, projects and programs. Occasionally, CSC provides expert input to standing committees reviewing legislation and expert witness to coroner's inquests. CSC uses government sources for statistics when available. While some government agencies are members, operations are not funded by government grants.

CSC's motorcycle training program is a good example of its partnership with government. In 1974, responding to the high number of deaths and injuries involving motorcycles, Transport Canada gave the Canada Safety Council seed funding for a national program to train beginning motorcyclists, the first of its kind in the world. Today, over 70 per cent of new riders in Canada take Gearing Up-Canada's Motorcycle Skills Course. Training has contributed to the long-term drop in motorcycle fatalities, from a high of 903 in 1973, to 179 in 2000 despite a significant increase in the number of riders. The program has been self- funding since the late 1970s from student fees and contributions from the motorcycle industry.

Council staff participate on a volunteer basis in government committees. For example: Transport Canada (Dangerous Goods and Railway Safety); Canadian Council of Motor Vehicle Administrators (various traffic safety committees); Environment Canada (Working Group on Road Salts); and Health Canada (Canadian Health Network).

Recent projects include: Truck Driver Incentives (Transport Canada); Falls Prevention (Health Canada/Veterans Affairs Canada); School Bullying (Justice Canada, in partnership with National Film Board of Canada).

Independence

Like most not-for-profit organizations, CSC regularly approaches the private sector for funding. Industry groups often sponsor initiatives related to their interests. However, by maintaining a diversified revenue base, CSC avoids conflicts of interest that might compromise its independence.

Margins from training programs, magazine subscriptions, and sponsorships contribute to overhead. Corporations and individuals fund the Council's work through membership donations. With this support, plus a dedicated, knowledgeable staff and cost-effective operations, CSC fulfils its safety mandate.

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Safety Canada January 2003

Impaired Driving: an Example of Input to Federal Policy

Mandate, Programs and Activities

Partnering with the Private Sector

The Role of Driver Distraction in Traffic Crashes