Staying Informed about Charitable Status

As charities advancing religion, we know intuitively the value and importance of these organizations to Canadian society.

But a report from a former House of Commons Finance Committee shows that not everyone understands or acknowledges the significant place of religious charities in Canada.

The Issue

We’ve detailed the report and its recommendations in a past blog post, CCCC Responds to Troubling Recommendations on Charitable Status. In sum, two of the report’s 462 recommendations were particularly concerning:

• Recommendation 429: no longer provide charitable status for anti-abortion organizations
• Recommendation 430: amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of charity which would remove the privileged status of advancement of religion as a charitable purpose.

Our Response

In our blog post you’ll find the letter we sent to the Ministers outlining our concerns.

Our concerns and letter, as well as others, have been reflected in Christianity Today, Canadian Affairs, the Catholic Register, The B.C. Catholic, an interview on 100 Huntley Street, and our 2025 pre-budget submissions that call for the government to retract the recommendations.

Other organizations including The EFC, Christian Legal Fellowship similarly called for the government to reject the recommendations and Imagine Canada expressed concern about politically motivated interference in the charitable sector.

The Committee’s recommendations are similar to past attempts to politicize charitable status. CCCC has written extensively to the government about politicizing charitable status. Here are just a few:

• Mandate letters; see also CCCC Open Letter
• Proposed Income Tax Act amendments
• Sealing industry

So what do we make of the recommendations?

The Context

It is important to know that these are not binding recommendations. No future government has any duty to implement them. Already Parliament prorogued, another round of pre-budget consultations opened and closed, and an election was called. It is also important to note that these recommendations impact the entire charitable sector, not just those directly targeted. Recommendation 429 politicizes charitable status, which, as we have said elsewhere, is a problem for everyone. Likewise, removing the “privileged status of advancement of religion” means any other charitable purpose can be removed on a whim.

Ongoing Response

Still, we understand the Report has left lingering concerns. Rest assured that CCCC is monitoring the issue, working with other national organizations, and will keep you updated.

If your organization wants to participate by speaking to issues related to your charitable purpose, you can. Since we’re in a federal election, special rules apply to charities that engage in election advocacy so you’ll need to be aware of the limits under public policy dialogue and development rules and Elections Act rules.

Our letters provide you with helpful summaries of the issues, consequences, and problems with the various proposals. We also have a one-page reference doc (that’s actually 1.5 pages!) outlining key issues with politicizing charitable status. And if you need further guidance in how to make use of all this information, our friends at The EFC have developed an Election 2025 brochure that may be helpful.