CRA Intends to Revoke Charity Registrations

Summary#

The Canada Revenue Agency published notices in the Canada Gazette on October 19, 2024 saying it intends to revoke the charitable registration of a large list of organizations. Some revocations were requested by the charities themselves; others were proposed because the organizations failed to meet filing rules under the Income Tax Act.

What it does#

• Announces notices of intention to revoke registration for multiple charities and one registered Canadian amateur athletic association.
• Distinguishes two reasons for revocation:
  • At the charity’s request (voluntary deregistration). Examples include Federation of Canadian Music Festivals and several parish and foundation names on the list.
  • For not meeting filing requirements under the Income Tax Act (non‑compliance). The Gazette lists many organizations in this category.
• States the revocation is effective on the date the notice appears in the Canada Gazette (the notices in this item are dated October 19, 2024).
• The notices are signed by Sharmila Khare, Director General, Charities Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency.

Who's affected#

• The specific charities and sponsoring groups named in the Gazette list. The list includes churches and parishes, arts and music groups, local festivals, cadet sponsoring committees, foundations, volunteer societies and small community organizations across many provinces. Examples from the list include World Dwarf Games 2017, Centre d’interprétation de la culture traditionnelle Marius‑Barbeau, and Les Scouts du District de Québec Inc. (many more are listed in the Gazette).
• Donors and local communities that receive services from these groups may notice changes if the groups stop operating as registered charities.
• It is not always clear from the notice whether a listed organization is winding down voluntarily or has been flagged after administrative non‑compliance; the Gazette entries mix both types.

Why it matters#

• Losing charitable registration usually means an organization is no longer recognized as a registered charity under the Income Tax Act. That typically affects whether the group can issue official donation receipts and whether donors can claim those donations on their tax returns.
• For communities, services or programs run by small charities could be disrupted if the organization stops operating or changes legal status.
• Some of the entries are voluntary revocations, which may simply reflect groups choosing to close or change structure; others signal administrative problems that could be fixed before final revocation. The Gazette notice lists the organizations publicly and sets the revocation as effective on publication (October 19, 2024).