When it comes to taxes, a Liberal committee wants to scrap “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose.
That means churches, shelters, recovery programs, and palliative care could all lose tax exemption status.
Is Ottawa becoming openly hostile to faith?
When it comes to taxes, a Liberal committee wants to scrap “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose.
That means churches, shelters, recovery programs, and palliative care could all lose tax exemption status.
Is Ottawa becoming openly hostile to faith? pic.twitter.com/v0ZiTfEUZS
— BlendrNews (@BlendrNews) August 8, 2025
This policy shift, buried in recommendation 430 of pre-budget consultations for the 2025 budget, comes at a time when charitable giving in Canada is already declining, with the percentage of Canadians donating to charities dropping from 22.4% in 2012 to 18.1% in 2022, according to the Fraser Institute, exacerbating the strain on the charitable sector.
The proposal raises concerns about the potential violation of charter rights, including freedom of conscience and religion, and whether religious viewpoints are being unfairly targeted, as highlighted by prominent voices like Albert King Paul, a former partner at a national accounting firm and lifelong liberal, who argues that this move could politicize Canadian civil society and ignore the significant contributions of faith-based groups.
