Canadian Govt Receives Recommendation To Remove Charitable Status from Pro-life Groups, Christian Charities
Buried within the Canadian Government’s Finance Committee’s pre-budget report is a recommendation that the Government of Canada remove charitable status to all anti-abortion groups, along with any group whose purpose is to advance their beliefs. The Committee report explains:
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (the Committee) launched its pre-budget consultations in advance of the 2025 federal budget and asked interested Canadian groups and individuals to make submissions. Selected witnesses were also invited by the Committee to present their priorities for the upcoming budget. The Committee received 828 submissions and held nine pre-budget hearings in the fall, during which it heard from 74 groups and individuals (and accepted 462 for consideration).
Along with recommendations like “Incentivize investment in the composite wood products manufacturing sector with dedicated measures that directly support the sector’s capital projects, growth and decarbonization.” and “Create dignified income support programs to support people aged 18 to 64 living in households experiencing food insecurity and poverty by transforming the GST/HST credit into a Groceries and Essentials Benefit and, the Canada Workers Benefit, into an enhanced Canada Working-Age Supplement.“, the Christian Post reports:
Details are buried within hundreds of recommendations made in a Finance Committee report tabled in the House of Commons on Dec. 13, 2024, which is part of a consultation process before the next federal budget.
Recommendation 429 calls for the government to “no longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations” and Recommendation 430 wants to amend the Income Tax Act to “provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose,” stated the EFC.
In a letter sent to Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc from Julia Beazley, the Director of Public Policy
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the EFC writes:
“Religious charities play a significant role within the charitable sector and the life of our country. Of the more than 73,000 charitable organizations registered with the CRA, more than 30,000 fall under the advancement of religion, roughly 42% of the charitable sector. It is estimated that there are 23,000 Christian congregations in Canada.
The thousands of churches and faith-based organizations across Canada that are religious charities benefit their participants, their communities and Canadian society as a whole. Religious charities foster vibrant social networks, mobilize outreach, spark local volunteerism, and foster community resiliency…
Within Christian communities, biblical teaching emphasizes that followers of Christ are to live in a way that demonstrates love for one’s neighbour, particularly those who are vulnerable. This leads to actions and activities that seek the good of Canadian society, whether we volunteer within faith-based organizations or those that are not faith-based. It orients Christian individuals and their communities outwardly, first toward God and then toward neighbour, in tangible, self-giving ways. Statistics Canada notes that frequent religious service attenders are among the core of volunteers and charitable donors.
We have already communicated our deep concern about politicizing the charitable sector and singling out charities on the basis of belief, in previous correspondence. On this basis, we also oppose the committee’s recommendation 429 to “no longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.”
We urge you not to follow the recommendation of the Finance Committee, but instead to recognize the relevance and benefits of religion to the charitable sector and Canadian public life.
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