Keep charitable status for religious institutions
Petitioners ask Parliament to reject the Finance Committee's proposal to remove charitable status from religious institutions. The government responds it will not remove advancement of religion from the Income Tax Act.
Why we would sign this petition
- Prevents financial hardship and closures for religious institutions that may already be struggling, avoiding loss of community assets.
- Maintains tax benefits and funding that support services religious institutions provide to seniors, families and vulnerable people.
- Avoids broad, disruptive change and preserves long-established charitable recognition for faith-based organizations delivering community programs.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Argues that charitable registration should depend on an organization’s activities meeting legal charitable purposes, not solely on religious identity.
- Supports reviewing whether institutions meet legal tests for charity status to prevent misuse of tax privileges and ensure accountability.
- Favors case-by-case review or targeted rule changes to balance protection of social services with fairness and clarity in tax law.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas Liberal and NDP MPs at the Finance Committee recommended removing charitable status from churches and other religious institutions, Whereas this will result in financial hardship and closures of religious institutions across Canada that are already struggling, Whereas religious institutions provide a myriad of supports to seniors, families, and vulnerable people. Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to reject the Finance Committee's proposal to remove charitable status from religious institutions.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue Signed by The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne The Government of Canada recognizes the vital role that charities, including religious charities, play in delivering essential services to some of the most vulnerable in Canadian society. To support their important work, registered charities are granted significant tax benefits and privileges, including the ability to issue official donation receipts for the gifts they receive. Under the Income Tax Act, an organization may only qualify for charitable registration where it is established exclusively for charitable purposes and devotes all its resources to achieving those purposes. The legal interpretation of “charitable purposes” has developed over time to include the relief of poverty, the advancement of religion, the advancement of education, and other purposes recognized as charitable, such as the promotion of health or the protection of the environment. Today, Canada is home to over 85,000 registered charities, representing a wide variety of causes, beliefs, and interests. Registration as a charity does not indicate government endorsement of an organization’s specific goals or views. Instead, it confirms that the organization meets certain conditions, including that it is constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. These benefits are extended to a broad range of organizations providing socially beneficial activities to the public, from educational institutions to religious organizations, as long as they meet the legal requirements for registration. The Government of Canada is not considering amending the Income Tax Act to remove the advancement of religion as a qualifying charitable purpose.