Readout: Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector – August 25, 2022

The Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (the Committee) met by videoconference on August 25, 2022.

Geoff Trueman, Assistant Commissioner of the Legislative Policy and Regulatory Affairs Branch of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), opened the call by acknowledging the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People, as well as the traditional territories from which attendees joined across Canada. 

Minister of National Revenue, Diane Lebouthillier, and Deputy Commissioner of the CRA, Brigitte Diogo, joined the meeting to speak with the committee members. The Minister recognized the work accomplished thus far, provided positive feedback on the progress of the Committee, and thanked the departing committee members who will be completing their terms on August 31, 2022:

• Kevin McCort – President & CEO, Vancouver Foundation
• Arlene MacDonald – former Executive Director, Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia
• Andrea McManus – Chief Advancement Officer, Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity; and Co-Founder and Senior Counsel of ViTreo Group
• Peter Dinsdale – President & CEO, YMCA Canada

The Minister also thanked the committee’s co-chairs, who will transition into their new roles, Past Co-chair and Transitional Co-chair, on September 1, 2022:

• Bruce MacDonald – President & CEO, Imagine Canada
• Hilary Pearson – former President, Philanthropic Foundation Canada

The Deputy Commissioner acknowledged the importance of the Committee’s work and its critical role in bringing the voice of the sector to the CRA, particularly given the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the sector.  The Deputy Commissioner thanked the Committee members for the recommendations they had provided thus far and for their ongoing work.

Robert Delaney from the Charities Directorate at the CRA provided an update on the drafting and publication timeline for the Charitable Partnerships guidance, and Pierre LeBlanc from the Department of Finance provided an update on proposed changes to the disbursement quota. Sharmila Khare, Director General of the Charities Directorate at the CRA, presented a status update on the 48 recommendations in Reports #1, #2, and #3 and spoke about items that fell within the CRA’s mandate. The Committee members were invited to address concerns, and provide input on the prioritization of the recommendations.

Meeting facilitator Kim Fuller opened a discussion on forward planning to determine what recommendations the Committee wants to focus on in the coming year. The Committee identified several topics of interest, including administrative issues such as the charitable registration process and governance of the Committee itself; policy issues relating to the definition of charity and charitable purpose, and non-profits; and data issues including transparency around non-profit organizations, other qualified donees, and non-qualified donees.

The Committee discussed next steps in establishing working groups and planning work leading up to the  next meeting, which will be held in person in Ottawa on November 3-4, 2022. The co-chairs closed the meeting by thanking the outgoing members.