Add Your Voice to the Canada Revenue Agency Consultation on Charities’ Political Activities

annoucement

Take the ICN/CCIC survey by November 2, 2016

Join the ICN webinar on November 8, 2016


On September 27, 2016, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) launched a national consultation on the rules governing ‘political activities’ by charitable organizations, inviting charities and the public to provide feedback and comments in order to clarify these rules. The consultation process will also include in-person roundtables in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver starting after the close of the online portion. The outcome of this process may determine government policy for the next 50 years, so intervention at this point is crucial.

The Inter-Council Network (ICN) and the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC) are planning to participate in this process through a series of activities culminating in a joint submission(s) to the CRA.

Our Action Plan

1 | Nationwide Survey of ICN Non-Profit and Charity Members – Closes Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The ICN will circulate a nationwide survey done in collaboration with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) and Prof. John Cameron of Dalhousie University to collect information from our combined memberships to inform the process.

We invite all of our members to participate, and especially ask our non-profit and charities members to complete this survey by Wednesday, November 2, 2016.

Instructions for completing the survey

  • Review the survey questions available here so that you can collect and prepare the material you will need to respond.
  • Ensure that the survey is completed by the person best-suited to respond on behalf of your organization.
  • It is strongly recommended that you review information on CRA’s political activities before responding to the survey, available here: Resources for charities about political activities
  • Complete the survey. The survey consists of a large number of questions, some of which require reflection and comments, and so we expect it to take between 15 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the nature of your organization. The survey has been set up online so that you can save your results every time you hit “next” and return to it on multiple occasions if you access the survey from the same IP address (e.g. your office). If you are a member of multiple councils, only complete this survey once.

Click here to take the survey


2 | Incorporate Member Perspectives into ICN joint submission

The ICN will analyze the data collected from our combined membership to inform an ICN joint submission to the CRA that will highlight our members’ perspectives as these consultations reshape the regulatory and legal framework related to the political activities of charitable organizations.


3 | ICN Webinar “CRA Regulations and the Political Activities of Charities” on November 8, 2016

Free Webinar: CRA Regulations and the Political Activities of Charities - Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape. Join us for a national discussion featuring presenters from Blumberg Segal LLC and Dalhousie Univeristy. Tuesday Nov 8 9:00-10:30am PST/ 12:00-1:30PM EST Inter-Council Network, Global Hive

An ICN webinar “CRA Regulations and the Political Activities of Charities” will be held on November 8, 2016 featuring Mark Blumberg (partner at Blumberg Segal LLP) and Prof. John Cameron of Dalhousie University respectively offering insights to the often complicated legal landscape and regulations, as well as the varying perspectives that exist around political activities of charities.

Event Details
Free Webinar: CRA Regulations and the Political Activities of Charities: Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape

When: Tuesday, November 8, 2016 12:00PM – 1:30PM EST (9:00AM -10:30AM PST)
Where: Online
Registration: Click here to register through Eventbrite

Key Dates
October 25, 2016: ICN-CCIC membership survey opens
November 2, 2016: ICN-CCIC membership survey closes
November 8, 2016: ICN webinar – The CRA and Political Activities of Charities (bilingual)
November 9, 2016: CCIC Webinar on CRA Consultation Survey Results
November 25, 2016: CRA Online consultations close
Post-November 25, 2016: In-person roundtable consultations in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

How to take action:
Fill out our survey to contribute to a larger, national submission before November 2, 2016.
Attend our webinar to learn more.
• Read up on the CRA’s current regulations and legal framework.
Put forward your own submission to the CRA consultation.
• Participate in a roundtable near you.

We ask for your timely collaboration in as the CRA undertakes this critical process of reform and encourage you to engage with our survey and webinar, as we work together to improve our sector.

If you have any questions about this process or innovative ideas, please contact Krista Dinsmore at icn.rcc[at]bccic.ca

ICN LogoCCIC Logo
ICN Logos Coast to Coast: BCCIC, NCGC, ACGC, MCIC, SCIC, OCIC, AQOCI, ACIC