The Charities and Democracy Project Phase IV

Summary

The Charities and Democracy project was a multi-phase initiative that intended to educate voluntary sector workers about the law of advocacy by charitable organizations. The purpose of the project was to help empower charities to participate in public policy development and debate. Canada’s charities face certain limitations on their ability to participate in public policy development and debate. CRA guidelines released in September 2003 presume an activity to be “political” if it includes a call to political action or communication to the public to change, retain or oppose the law, policy or decision of any level of government in Canada or in a foreign country. This project sought to educate the non-profit and charitable sectors about the laws, which it suggests may be an impediment to democracy.

Grant Outputs

CRA “Political Activities” Guidelines Workshops 802 –

This project resulted in 38 workshops, held in 9 of Canada’s 10 provinces. These sessions taught charities about the CRA’s guidelines, how to advocate legally under the existing restrictions, and also encouraged the sector to support reform of the existing laws. As a result of this project, staff and leading volunteers from charities became more knowledgeable about how to work within the CRA guidelines on “political activities” and how to report their activities to the CRA on the T3010.