The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is concerned with the recommendations presented to the Canadian government calling for the removal of charitable status to religious charities and anti-abortion organizations. The organization wars that the potential negative impact not only on the religious sector but the many people it serves would be massive.
The details were hidden 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. Specifically, recommendation 429 advises the government to “no longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.” 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.
Each of these recommendations is found in the report under Chapter Five, “A Competitive Fiscal Policy, Sustainable Finances and Efficient Government Operations.” The introduction states that “Federal taxation plays a pivotal role in funding public expenditures and directing economic activity to sustain and enrich the Canadian economy.”
“Personal income tax is the largest source of government revenues in Canada, followed by corporate income tax. Tax policy is also a major mechanism to motivate taxpayers to engage in activities that are deemed beneficial to society or, on the contrary, dissuade taxpayers from engaging in activities that are thought to be harmful to society.”
The EFC thinks that the wording was borrowed from the British Columbia Humanist Association’s written submission to the committee. The minister is not obliged to adopt the recommendations for the budget. However, the EFC is concerned about the issue. “The Conservative Party has a dissenting opinion in the report, and the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois have supplementary opinions, but none mention or oppose these charitable status recommendations in the main report,” the EFC said. “These recommendations may have been overlooked among the 462 recommendations made, but none of the parties expressed opposition to them.
“This change, if adopted, would have a far-reaching and devastating impact — on religious charities, the people they serve, and Canadian society. Just over 40% of Canada’s registered charities advance religion. This proposal would destabilize the charitable sector in Canada.” They also mentioned that committee recommendations can serve as a “trial balloon.”
“If a recommendation seems widely supported, or at least not opposed, it may encourage the government to move ahead with it,” the organization noted. “This is an important time to ensure MPs hear the concerns of Canadians about this proposal, now that the Finance Committee has put it on the table. It’s more effective to prevent these recommendations from being introduced in a bill than to ask for them to be removed once the bill has been introduced.”
We reported this year that Canada has increased political pressure on Christians. Canada has been rocked by anti-Christian violence. Since 2021, when indigenous activists claimed to have discovered evidence of abuse in church schools, 112 churches have been vandalized or burnt to the ground. Of the 33 Churches set ablaze, 24 have been confirmed arson attacks. Many of the destroyed buildings, such as St. Gregory’s in British Columbia, have stood for over 100 years.
On July 15, 2021, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc tribe, issued a statement claiming to have found evidence of nearly 200 unmarked child graves at a residential school near Kamloops B.C. Residential Schools were boarding schools sponsored by the Canadian government from 1831-1998 and staffed by local churches. These schools were set up to integrate Indigenous children into Canadian society. However, they have also featured in elaborate conspiracies where some activists allege children were neglected and their remains hidden. Since the scandal broke, no human remains have been found. C