Dear Friend,
We are in another election year! (Although the timing of it is still uncertain.)
The EFC will be producing an Election Engagement Kit which will highlight key issues for Christians in the coming election and provide suggested questions to ask those running for office.
In the meantime, there is one issue that I feel is important to bring to your attention now.
In December 2024, the Finance Committee tabled a report in the House of Commons. The report contains over 450 recommendations for the Minister of Finance to take into consideration in developing the next federal budget.
There are two recommendations that, if adopted, will negatively impact the charitable status of certain organizations.
One recommendation calls for the government to “no longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.” The current government has been signalling intent to do this for several years. After the 2021 election, we had voiced our concerns over their unfair targeting of charities – like the many life-affirming, Christ-centred pregnancy care centres across Canada that do not offer abortion services – solely because they hold pro-life beliefs that differ from those of the government.
We also questioned what organizations would be considered “anti-abortion.” Would it include churches or other places of worship that affirm biblical teachings on the sanctity of life? What about faith-based organizations (e.g., Bible camps, Christian schools, etc.) that hold deeply rooted beliefs about when life begins? Revoking or rejecting an organization’s charitable status solely on the basis of beliefs about abortion or when life begins would violate our freedoms of conscience, religion, belief, and expression, as guaranteed under our
Charter.
The other concerning recommendation from the finance committee’s report calls for the Income Tax Act to be amended to exclude the “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose. If adopted, this would mean that religious organizations, including many churches and ministry organizations, would lose their charitable status. We estimate that there are 23,000 Christian congregations in Canada.
Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector is the second largest in the world (after the Netherlands). There are more than 73,000 charitable organizations registered with the Canadian Revenue Agency. Registered charities benefit from certain tax exemptions, which allows more money to be used to do more good in our communities. They are also able to issue charitable tax receipts for donations so donors can claim tax credits to reduce their own taxes. This helps encourage Canadians to give more generously.
Currently, to be classified as a charity, an organization must have as its purpose the relief of poverty, advancement of education, advancement of religion, or other purposes beneficial to the community. About 40% of Canada’s registered charities advance religion. These include churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and other faith communities. The change could drastically destabilize the charitable sector.
Including “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose presumes that faith communities benefit their communities. It is this assumption that offends those who are anti-religion, who argue that this privileges religious groups. But this perspective reflects a lack of awareness of, and respect for, the significant social and economic benefits that churches and other religious communities provide to Canadian society.
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbours. We are to care for those who are vulnerable and to minister to those in need. This understanding compels us to engage in acts of service that seek the well-being of those in our communities and the good of
all Canadians. Congregations all across the country provide indispensable social, economic, and spiritual support to members of our society – for example, through home visits; programs that provide food, clothing and shelter; sponsoring refugees; etc. Removing “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose will have a far-reaching and devastating impact on tens of thousands of religious charities, the people and communities they serve, and Canadian society as a whole.
Research has also shown that religious Canadians contribute disproportionately more to charitable organizations, both religious and non-religious, and both in terms of volunteering as well as charitable giving. It’s been estimated that the government would need to spend about $18 billion annually to replace the programs and services that faith groups provide to their local communities. The cost to taxpayers would be immense!
This is a critical moment to contact your local MP to ensure that they hear your concerns so that no government will ever consider adopting these recommendations, now or at any time in the future. Ask your MP to support the charitable sector and specifically, to support keeping advancing religion as a charitable purpose and to oppose removing charitable status on the basis of beliefs.
This will be a very busy year for the EFC as we tackle these and many other issues. To ensure that our voice in Canada remains strong and effective before our elected officials, will you consider making a gift
today or signing up to make automatic monthly gifts? Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated!
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO