Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to respond on behalf of the Minister of National Revenue this evening to this question.
The member for Skeena is requesting that the charitable status of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund Society, the David Suzuki Foundation and the B.C. Spaces for Nature Society be revoked.
The member has stated that a leaked document reveals that a number of Canadian environmental organizations including these three registered charities are accepting contributions from American corporate and family trusts.
He also stated the documents show that these charities are counting on these funds to finance a smear campaign and manipulate share prices of a Canadian company, Redfern Resources Ltd., to scare off investors and kill a mining project, as he has alluded to, in northern British Columbia, resulting in lost jobs and investments in Canada.
These are indeed very serious allegations that could result in severe consequences for these charities, even though it has not yet been conclusively established that these charities have done anything wrong.
The member has provided, as he said, the documents to Revenue Canada. I can confirm that the Sierra Legal Defence Fund Society, the David Suzuki Foundation and the B.C. Spaces for Nature Society are indeed registered charities under the Income Tax Act.
However, under the confidentiality provisions of the same Income Tax Act, I cannot discuss the affairs of these charities or indeed any actions the department may take in dealing with them.
The charitable sector should be an asset for all Canadians, and parliament has recognized this by providing through our tax system important financial support. To be registered as charities they must have charitable purposes and we will ensure that these are carried out properly in the country.