Letter to Finance Minister on pregnancy centre recommendation

The Hon. François-Philippe Champagne

Minister of Finance and National Revenue

Department of Finance Canada

90 Elgin Street

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G5

 Dear Minister Champagne,

 We are writing to express our deep concern about a recommendation in the Standing Committee on Finance report, Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2026 Budget.

 Recommendation 65

... Budget 2026 should also introduce amendments to the Income Tax Act to require greater transparency from anti-abortion pregnancy centres in order to mitigate harm to clients and prevent the misuse of charitable status.

 First, we are dismayed by the pejorative language in this recommendation. There are many pregnancy care centres across Canada that support Canadian women and do important and worthwhile work. For example, over 80 pregnancy care centres affiliated with Pregnancy Care Canada helped and supported women and men through more than 54,000 client visits last year. This included providing material supplies, such as diapers and clothing, to almost 9,000 clients.

The FINA recommendation uses language such as “harm to clients” and “misuse of charitable status.” This is strong, unsubstantiated language that mischaracterizes the work of pregnancy centres across the country.

 Second, the recommendation to place additional requirements on one type of charitable organization risks politicizing the charitable sector. The wording in the recommendation of “anti-abortion pregnancy centres” suggests that these centres are being singled out for additional scrutiny and additional burden on the basis of their beliefs about when life begins.

 All charities should carry out their activities honestly and ethically, with integrity. The CRA has robust regulatory and compliance measures to address compliance concerns about individual charities. If there is concern about the activity of a charitable organization, it should be assessed using evidence specific to the organization through the existing measures. We ask that any policy or legislative changes follow the principles of procedural fairness and consistency.

 We are very concerned that participation in the public square and a level playing field with respect to government programs could be subject to a values test, to being in alignment with the policy of a particular government.

 We urge you to support Canada’s vibrant charitable sector, not to politicize it by singling out a category of charity on the basis of belief. We urge you not to follow this recommendation.

 We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your staff to discuss these concerns further.

 Sincerely,

 Julia Beazley

Director, EFC Centre for Faith and Public Life