Question Period Note: ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE CHARITABLE SECTOR

What is the purpose of the committee?

• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that registered charities operate in a regulatory environment that supports their important work, and to engaging in meaningful dialogue with the charitable sector.

• In line with this commitment, the Government launched an Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS) on August 29, 2019.

• The ACCS will provide recommendations to the Minister of National Revenue and the Commissioner of the CRA on important and emerging issues facing registered charities and other qualified donees on an ongoing basis.

• The ACCS has 14 members and three co-chairs. Two co-chairs are from the charitable sector and one is from the Canada Revenue Agency. The members include those with significant sector experience, in addition to two government representatives (CRA and the Department of Finance).

• Summaries of ACCS meetings will be posted online.

As part of its commitment to clarifying and modernizing the rules governing the charitable sector, the Government held extensive online and in-person consultations with the public and charitable sector on the rules governing charities’ involvement in political activities in the fall of 2016. An expert panel made recommendations based on these consultations, which were delivered to the Minister of National Revenue on March 30, 2017.

The 2018 Fall Economic Statement (FES) announced the Government’s commitment to establish a permanent Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector (ACCS), in response to the recommendations of the Consultation Panel on the Political Activities of Charities, as well as the Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy Co-Creation Steering Group. The FES also announced that the committee will be led by the Canada Revenue Agency, and that it will provide advice to the Government on important issues facing charities on an ongoing basis.

The creation of the ACCS was first announced by the Department of Finance on November 21, 2018, as part of the Fall Economic Statement.

A conference call to launch the ACCS took place on August 29, 2019. Most of the conversation was focused on the roles and responsibilities of members. The ACCS is currently preparing for its first in-person meeting. At this meeting, the ACCS will formalize its priorities and working arrangements.

The ACCS is made up of 14 members in addition to the co-chairs, with 12 members that have significant sector experience as well as two representatives from government; one from the Canada Revenue Agency and one from the Department of Finance. The ACCS will meet twice per year in Ottawa, or more frequently if necessary.

The Government is providing $3.2 million in new funding over the 2018–2019 to 2023–2024 period for the ACCS.

SOURCE : The Government of Canada announces full membership of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector – News release issued August 23, 2019