Readout: Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector – April 11 and 12, 2024
The Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS) met in person in Ottawa on April 11th and 12th, 2024.
April 11th, 2024
Soren Halverson, Assistant Commissioner of the Legislative Policy and Regulatory Affairs Branch of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), opened the meeting by taking a moment to conduct the land acknowledgment.
Soren then welcomed the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue, who came to speak with the committee. After providing opening remarks, the Minister asked the members for their input on sector issues.
The co-chairs shared the focus of their recommendations from the committee’s four working groups, listed in their fourth report to the Minister:
- Relationship between the CRA and the charitable sector
- Definition of charity and charitable purpose
- National Inherent Risk Assessment
- Transparency and data related to other qualified donees and non-profit organizations
The members highlighted themes along the line of education, reducing administrative burden, and their concerns with a lack of funding and resources for charities. The Minister thanked the members for their time and input.
Following the Minister’s engagement with the ACCS, the sector co-chair, Sheherazade Hirji, hosted the first of two roundtable discussions where members provided information and insights into emerging issues they have been hearing through their networks.
In the afternoon, guest speakers from Carleton University presented on the Charities Insights Canada Project (CICP). They shared that through weekly surveys and regular publications, the CICP offers an overview of the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the Canadian charitable sector.
Next, British Columbia Parliamentary Secretary Megan Dykeman, from the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction, presented on home in government for charities and the non profit sector in the province.
The day concluded with a discussion on key challenges and concerns raised by ACCS members, followed by a status update on the ACCS' upcoming Report #4 to the Minister.
April 12th, 2024
The ACCS co-chairs, Kevin McCort, Sheherazade Hirji, and Soren Halverson welcomed the committee members back and opened the meeting with a discussion on their experiences and rationale of why some charities fear the CRA. The committee provided suggestions on ways to circumvent the fear and misunderstandings within the sector.
Next, the sector members continued their roundtable discussion on emerging issues being heard through their networks. They provided examples, such as organizations lacking capacity and resources; a need for better data; charities' fear of being non-compliant; and a lack of modernization.
The committee discussed next steps for the ACCS and then the co-chairs thanked the members for their time and commitment. The members noted they were looking forward to their next meeting in the fall 2024.