Nearly 300 Canadian attorneys and law students have signed an open letter urging the federal government to protect the charitable status of faith-based organizations, warning that recent parliamentary recommendations threaten religious freedom and community services.
The letter, organized by the Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF), responds to two recommendations by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Recommendation 429 calls for removing the “advancement of religion” as a recognized charitable purpose, while Recommendation 430 proposes ending charitable status for anti-abortion organizations.
Sent to the Department of Finance and addressed to the ministers of finance and national revenue, the letter argues that adopting either measure would undermine Canada’s tradition of pluralism and place significant burdens on both faith communities and the people they serve. CLF said the appeal is timed to coincide with preparations for the October national budget.
The letter encourages “even-handed state support of religious and conscientious freedoms,” in keeping with Canada’s constitutional tradition of religiously positive pluralism:
“Philosophical and religious disagreements are inevitable in a free and democratic society like Canada,” CLF said in a media statement. “But these disagreements should never be used to disqualify, hinder, or deny the provision of charitable services by diverse faith communities, nor deprive the millions of Canadians who need, and benefit from, them.”
In the letter, the signatories ask for Recommendation 429 to be rejected and the government “affirm that no registered charity may have its registration revoked or be subject to any other penalty solely because it or any of its members, officials, or supporters exercises, in relation to beliefs about the sanctity of human life, the freedom of conscience and religion guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Similarly, the group says Recommendation 430 must be rejected and the government “maintain and affirm ‘advancement of religion’ as a head of charity, recognizing the significant public benefit that religious congregations and institutions provide to Canadian society.”
The CLF media release recalled its written brief to the Standing Committee of Finance earlier this summer saying that religious charities account for nearly 40% of all charities in Canada. This provides “indispensable social, economic, and spiritual support, filling a significant gap in our communities, and meeting the needs of millions of Canadians.”
Letter signatories want the recommendations rejected but call for Parliament to act further and honor the legacy of religious charities in Canada, reaffirming their hard work.
“Ultimately, any efforts to substitute the work of religious charities would place an extraordinary strain on all levels of government, with the burden being felt most by the individuals and communities that these organizations serve on the front lines,” say the signatories in the letter.
CLF has previously warned that removing the “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose could have far-reaching consequences, affecting more than 32,000 religious charities and millions of Canadians who rely on them. The group continues to urge the government to reject the proposals and clarify its intentions.
