The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is urging the nation’s minister of finance to reject a recommendation by a House of Commons committee that would remove the charitable status of religious organizations under Canada’s tax laws.
After holding pre-budget consultations with a number of groups in advance of Canada’s 2025 budget, the Standing Committee on Finance in December presented 462 recommendations for the government to implement. Item 430 recommends that the government “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.”
In a letter to Minister of Finance Dominic LeBlanc, the EFC noted that more than 30,000 charitable organizations—roughly 42% of Canadian charities—fall under the advancement of religion. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse both maintain offices 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,” the letter says. “Religious charities foster vibrant social networks, mobilize outreach, spark local volunteerism and foster community resiliency.”
The letter adds, “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.”
Another recommendation from the committee is that the government “No longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.” In its letter, the EFC also expressed opposition to that point, stating, “We have already communicated our deep concern about politicizing the charitable sector and singling out charities on the basis of belief, in previous correspondence.”
The Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC) also responded with a letter to LeBlanc and other leaders. In it, the CCCC points out that adopting these recommendations would make it easy for future governments to remove the charitable status of organizations they disagree with. “This approach to charitable status puts every single Canadian charity at risk,” the CCCC noted. “It means that every time a new government is elected, new requirements can be imposed and charitable status for specific groups can be in jeopardy.”
The committee report, with its recommendations, was tabled Dec. 13 in the House of Commons, and the finance minister is not obligated to adopt what the committee recommends, but the CCCC noted that “it is essential to speak out about these recommendations.”
