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Introduction1 Consumer control and involvement in the delivery of human services has long been hailed as a hallmark of progressive thinking. Images of dedicated consumers and volunteers working against unresponsive bureaucracy on non-profit boards of directors underlie views of both welfare pluralists and voluntary sector supporters, as well as more conservative advocates of charitable services. 2 Although consumer involvement has long been a feature of non-profit service provision in Canada, it has assumed increasing importance in recent years as the Canadian welfare state has undergone deficit-driven restructuring. Public and political discourse has emphasized a renewed promotion of philanthropy, volunteering, and self-help. Neo-conservatives advocate the downsizing or full elimination of state provision of social welfare, hailing what they see as the moral superiority and less costly nature of the …