◕‿↼
2015-01-20 21:33:37 UTC
This, Canadian voters, is how a dictatorship advances its own fundamentalist
agenda - and destroys any opposition to it.
_____________________________________
CBC News Posted: Jan 20, 2015
Dying With Dignity loses charitable status after political-activity probe
Group says conversion to non-profit status will allow it to conduct political
advocacy without constraints
Dying With Dignity Canada is losing its coveted charitable status, the first
such group to be deregistered since the Canada Revenue Agency launched a series
of controversial
political-activity audits almost three years ago.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The small Toronto-based group said it received the bad news Friday in a letter
from the CRA that said government officials made mistakes in 1982 and 2011 when
they formally conferred and confirmed charitable status.
Dying With Dignity Canada bills itself as a health and education charity that,
among other things, lobbies for terminally ill patients to have a choice about
physician-assisted dying.
The Stephen Harper government began its special audits of charities' political
activities in 2012, under an $8-million program that initially targeted
environmental groups,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
then expanded to human rights, poverty, religious and other charities. Some 60
such groups are to be audited by 2017.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So far, only one other charity is known to be under imminent threat of losing
its charitable registration.
Montreal-based Alternatives, which funds Third World health and education
projects, was told in August that officials also made an error with its initial
charitable registration years ago. However, Alternatives spokesman Michel
Lambert said his group is now in discussions with the CRA about ways to retain
its status, allowing it to continue to issue tax receipts to donors for the
time being.
Wanda Morris, CEO of Dying With Dignity, said the group accepts it will lose
its charitable status and is converting to non-profit status after about Feb.
15, when the CRA ruling takes effect.
The agency's letter said the group does not conduct "any activities advancing
education in the charitable sense."
Morris said the conversion to non-profit status will free it from the tangle of
rules on political activities, allowing Dying With Dignity Canada "to focus on
political advocacy without constraints."
The charity received about $300,000 in donations in 2013, and says it spent
about $35,000 on political activities, an amount representing about nine per
cent of all spending.
Charities are not permitted to spend more than 10 per cent of their resources
of political activities, but definitions are often unclear.
Environmental Defence also under threat
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another charity, Toronto-based Environmental Defence, is also under threat of
losing its charitable status, but is currently in a formal appeal process with
the CRA.
Critics have charged that the political-activities audits are politically
motivated, with the Harper government especially targeting charities that
oppose its energy and pipeline policies.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Some have said the audits are creating a so-called advocacy chill, as some
charities self-censor so as not to provoke the auditors.
But Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay said the agency works at arm's length
from the government, making its own decisions about what groups to audit
without political direction.
New Democrat MP Murray Rankin, the party's critic for the Canada Revenue
Agency, called the stripping of Dying With Dignity's charitable status an
"outrage."
"I think this is just part of a pattern where the Conservatives have been
targeting groups who they don't agree with," he said from Victoria.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"It's chosen birdwatchers in the past. It's chosen those of us fighting
pipelines. The latest casualty is now Dying With Dignity, whose apparent views
are different than those of the Conservatives."
Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, who supports the group's goals, said the
decision to deregister was not political.
He added that the organization's changed status will likely not hurt donations.
"I think this issue is so personal and such a unique area of public policy that
when people are dealing with life and death issues, they're not thinking about
their tax receipt," he said in an interview. <<==== Harper flunky
============================================================================
Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it
deserves it. ~ Mark Twain
============================================================================
agenda - and destroys any opposition to it.
_____________________________________
CBC News Posted: Jan 20, 2015
Dying With Dignity loses charitable status after political-activity probe
Group says conversion to non-profit status will allow it to conduct political
advocacy without constraints
Dying With Dignity Canada is losing its coveted charitable status, the first
such group to be deregistered since the Canada Revenue Agency launched a series
of controversial
political-activity audits almost three years ago.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The small Toronto-based group said it received the bad news Friday in a letter
from the CRA that said government officials made mistakes in 1982 and 2011 when
they formally conferred and confirmed charitable status.
Dying With Dignity Canada bills itself as a health and education charity that,
among other things, lobbies for terminally ill patients to have a choice about
physician-assisted dying.
The Stephen Harper government began its special audits of charities' political
activities in 2012, under an $8-million program that initially targeted
environmental groups,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
then expanded to human rights, poverty, religious and other charities. Some 60
such groups are to be audited by 2017.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So far, only one other charity is known to be under imminent threat of losing
its charitable registration.
Montreal-based Alternatives, which funds Third World health and education
projects, was told in August that officials also made an error with its initial
charitable registration years ago. However, Alternatives spokesman Michel
Lambert said his group is now in discussions with the CRA about ways to retain
its status, allowing it to continue to issue tax receipts to donors for the
time being.
Wanda Morris, CEO of Dying With Dignity, said the group accepts it will lose
its charitable status and is converting to non-profit status after about Feb.
15, when the CRA ruling takes effect.
The agency's letter said the group does not conduct "any activities advancing
education in the charitable sense."
Morris said the conversion to non-profit status will free it from the tangle of
rules on political activities, allowing Dying With Dignity Canada "to focus on
political advocacy without constraints."
The charity received about $300,000 in donations in 2013, and says it spent
about $35,000 on political activities, an amount representing about nine per
cent of all spending.
Charities are not permitted to spend more than 10 per cent of their resources
of political activities, but definitions are often unclear.
Environmental Defence also under threat
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another charity, Toronto-based Environmental Defence, is also under threat of
losing its charitable status, but is currently in a formal appeal process with
the CRA.
Critics have charged that the political-activities audits are politically
motivated, with the Harper government especially targeting charities that
oppose its energy and pipeline policies.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Some have said the audits are creating a so-called advocacy chill, as some
charities self-censor so as not to provoke the auditors.
But Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay said the agency works at arm's length
from the government, making its own decisions about what groups to audit
without political direction.
New Democrat MP Murray Rankin, the party's critic for the Canada Revenue
Agency, called the stripping of Dying With Dignity's charitable status an
"outrage."
"I think this is just part of a pattern where the Conservatives have been
targeting groups who they don't agree with," he said from Victoria.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"It's chosen birdwatchers in the past. It's chosen those of us fighting
pipelines. The latest casualty is now Dying With Dignity, whose apparent views
are different than those of the Conservatives."
Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, who supports the group's goals, said the
decision to deregister was not political.
He added that the organization's changed status will likely not hurt donations.
"I think this issue is so personal and such a unique area of public policy that
when people are dealing with life and death issues, they're not thinking about
their tax receipt," he said in an interview. <<==== Harper flunky
============================================================================
Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it
deserves it. ~ Mark Twain
============================================================================