Legal Affairs Update

November 2025

Picture of Supreme Court of Canada sign and building

Thank you!

This year, a member ministry reached out. They were facing new challenges from a change in local policy that threatened their ability to faithfully serve the local community. It wasn’t a headline case. There were no cameras or press releases.

But it mattered.

Because what happens in small meeting rooms and behind the scenes often shapes the future of ministry in Canada.

At CCCC, this is the kind of work your support fuels. The Legal Department has engaged with government leaders, responded to legislative proposals, and worked diligently to protect the integrity of charitable status.

This work is only possible because of your partnership. Every prayer lifted up and every gift to the Legal Defence Fund strengthens our capacity to act so that ministries of all sizes can continue serving with courage and confidence.

As 2025 ends and we look ahead to 2026, thank you for helping us stand in the gap.

A Peek Behind the Scenes

What does behind the scenes work look like at CCCC? Here’s an example related to Bill C-2’s proposal to prohibit cash donations of over $10,000. Having heard little from within the sector, we…

Raised the issue with the CRA at a Technical Issues Working Group meeting
Wrote a follow up letter to the Minister of Finance
Sent emails and had phone calls with government agencies
All of which helped prompt two meetings between Finance and stakeholders to discuss the issue.

A new bill, C-12, has selected certain elements of C-2 to fast-track and we are pleased to see the donation prohibition has been left out as one requiring “additional time to evaluate.”

Charitable Status

We know the issue of charitable status is top of mind for our members and we have actively monitored and spoken out against any attempts to politicize or jeopardize it. Since our June Legal Affairs Update, we have

Made pre-budget submissions to the Department of Finance (August 2025)
Made pre-budget submissions to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (August 2025)
Signed a legal letter drafted by Christian Legal Fellowship focusing on advancement of religion (August 2025)
Helped coordinate a Canada wide charity-lawyer letter focusing on a range of concerns about the politicization of charities (September 2025)
Co-led ongoing meetings with other national stakeholder organizations to share information and advocacy strategies.

At this point in time we are not aware of new legislation or proposals that would impact charitable status but will closely examine the upcoming federal budget and update our blog with any new information.

Court Interventions

We have two active interventions, which we detailed in our June 2025 update. But in case you missed it and want to add them your prayer list, here is short review:

Equal Access to Public Facilities (Quebec): The Quebec government cancelled a religious group’s event at a government-owned venue, citing the leader’s past pro-life statements as incompatible with Quebec’s “resolutely pro-choice” views – even though the event was not related to abortion. Together with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and Réseau Évangélique du Québec, CCCC is intervening to affirm collective religious freedom and argue that public spaces must remain open to all voices—including religious ones—without political censorship. The hearing has been postponed from November 2025 to February 2026.

Conscientious Objection to Euthanasia (British Columbia): A euthanasia advocacy group claims that allowing faith-based organizations to conscientiously object to providing euthanasia violates Charter rights. CCCC is stepping in to protect collective conscience and ensure charities can continue acting – as they must – in line with their foundational purposes. The trial is scheduled for January 2026, with written and oral submissions to follow. The outcome could radically reshape the landscape for faith-based healthcare in Canada.

Ongoing Engagement

CCCC will address concerns about politicization of charitable status through a formal research paper for the Law Commission of Canada. Once it is published, we’ll be sure to share it with you!

We continue involvement in Ontario and Canadian Bar Associations to ensure there is a faith-based perspective at the table for submissions, policy priorities and discussions. We also continue representing you in our ongoing consultations with CRA in the Technical Issues Working Group.

In all of our work, we are deeply committed to serving your mission through faithful, wise, and principled advocacy - we invite you to stand with us as we promote values and freedoms that empower Christian charities to flourish.

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