A recent report by a Canadian parliamentary committee has sparked discussion regarding potential changes to charitable status regulations. The CRC office in Canada has received multiple inquiries from members about this since the report was published.
The Finance Committee tabled its report in the House of Commons on December 13, 2024, which included recommendations that could significantly impact religious organizations and anti-abortion groups.
Specifically, the committee made two key recommendations:
- Recommendation 429: To no longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.
- Recommendation 430: To amend the Income Tax Act to redefine "charity" in a way that would remove the "advancement of religion" as an explicit charitable purpose.
These recommendations were presented to the Minister of Finance as potential inclusions in the next federal budget. It's important to note that committee recommendations are not binding and do not automatically become law. The Finance Minister is not obligated to incorporate these suggestions into the budget.
It has been noted that approximately 40% of Canada's registered charities advance religion, suggesting that this recommendation, if implemented, could have widespread effects on the charitable sector. Organizations like the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) have highlighted the significant contributions of religious charities to Canadian society, particularly in areas of social support and community building.
While important to monitor, as the CRC is doing, there are several factors that suggest that advocacy at this time may not be urgent:
- These recommendations happened in committee (not a proposed legislation).
- The recommendations went to a previous Minister of Finance (Chrystia Freeland) who is no longer in that position and the replacement MP of Finance has made no comment on it.
- We are now in an election cycle and it is likely that the party elected later this month will begin with a new mandate with a new finance committee, and this recommendation will not be tabled again.
“This is not a realistic political thing right now,” said Ray Pennings, executive vice president of Cardus, a nonpartisan Christian think tank based in Canada. “But it does speak to a cultural narrative that is being pushed by some in which the intrinsic value of religion is no longer understood as a public good.”
The CRC Canadian office will continue to monitor these recommendations for future updates. Canadians who wish to express their concern are encouraged to engage with their elected officials by contacting their Members of Parliament to express their views. Resources and guidance on how to do so are available from organizations like the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (of which the CRC is a member) and are linked below.
Resources from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada:
- Summary of News
- Letter to the Minister of Finance
- Ask your Member of Parliament to support advancing religion as a charitable purpose.
Additional Resources from the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities
Comments
I think another important part to highlight in this response (and I get this information from a Conservative Party Member and advocate as well as a Christian Charity source) is that "the report is being shared as a partisan report when the committee is Bi-Partisan and co-chaired by a Liberal and Conservative representative". This is not a partisan issue per se and should not be construed as such.
"These reports are regularly produced by non-partisan committees to inform budget considerations. Good and bad ideas are discussed, and ideas are not meant to lead directly to policy change (although some eventually can). They are for information to guide decision-making. The committee in question's mandate is to hear from Canadians and report back to the government what they have heard".
So I feel that the information and how it is being presented on social media is meant to bring fear against particular parties and is very misleading. We should watch the "temperature" out there on these issues as it highlights important viewpoints out in the public sphere for us both as charities and religious institutions and we should advocate to the appropriate places for the good work we do and the positive we impact we have as institutions of faith...but this is not an issue to be attributed to a particular party for this election.
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