Minister of national revenue and CRA open consultations on charities’ political activities
September 30, 2016
BY Kevin Zakreski
Earlier this week the minister of national revenue announced the opening of “public consultations to clarify the rules regarding the involvement of registered charities in political activities.”
The first component of this consultation is an online consultation hosted by the Canada Revenue Agency. This consultation is asking for public comment in the following three broad areas:
- carrying out political activities:
- Are charities generally aware of what the rules are on political activities?
- What issues or challenges do charities encounter with the existing policies on charities’ political activities?
- Do these policies help or hinder charities in advocating for their causes or for the people they serve?
- CRA’s policy guidance:
- Is CRA’s policy guidance on political activities clear, useful, and complete?
- Which formats are the most useful and effective for offering policy guidance on the rules for political activities? (E.g., short videos, videoconferences, comprehensive documents, webinars, or other types of presentations.)
- future policy development:
- Should changes be made to the rules governing political activities and, if so, what should those changes be?
Instructions on how to respond to the consultation are available on a dedicated consultation webpage. The online consultation is open until Friday, 25 November 2016.
The minister also plans to hold in-person consultation sessions later this year in Halifax, Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver. In addition, the minister has formed a five-person expert consultation panel.
