Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards

Almost half of all Canadians (47 percent) volunteer their time, energy and skills to benefit their communities, with the replacement value of their work estimated to be roughly $14 billion, or the equivalent of nearly 1.1 million full-time jobs. Volunteers are crucial to Canada's not-for-profit sector, which includes 161,000 registered charities and not-for-profit organizations. Businesses contribute to their communities in a number of ways as well. For instance, in 2010, over half of employees who volunteered said that they had received support to do so from their employer.   

 The Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards (PMVA) consists of 17 awards in total.

Fifteen regional awards - three awards for each of the five regions across Canada (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia and the North): 

• Community Leader recognizes individual volunteers or groups of volunteers who have taken a leadership role in developing solutions to local challenges.
• Business Leader recognizes businesses that demonstrate social responsibility in their business practices.
• Social Innovator recognizes not-for-profit organizations that demonstrate innovation in addressing social challenges. 

Two national awards: 

• Emerging Leader recognizes new volunteers who help build stronger communities through leadership, and have made a positive difference in their community in a short period of time. This award is for those who have volunteered for no more than three years.
• Lifelong Achievement recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to volunteering and have inspired other volunteers, led volunteer groups or made other exceptional achievements through volunteering. This award is for those who have volunteered for a period of at least 20 years. 

Recipients of the PMVAs are selected through a three-step assessment process: 

1. Eligibility Screening: The PMVA Secretariat screens nominations to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria.
2. Regional Reviewers: Volunteer representatives from across the country assess nominations based on the established criteria and develop a list of top-ranked nominations for assessment by the National Advisory Committee.
3. National Advisory Committee: Up to 15 volunteer committee members are selected by the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Members are from various regions of Canada. The National Advisory Committee assesses the top-ranked nominations and recommends the award winners to the Minister of HRSDC for final decision. 

Please visit www.pm.gc.ca/awards for more information about the PMVA awards and recipients, and for information about the next call for nominations.

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