Finance committee  I just think most recently of our Ukraine response. In the initial days of our combined response, as an international organization we struggled to identify a specific aspect of our Samaritan's Purse work that is only one work in Ukraine and to identify our own activities. We stru

Finance committee  I can't speak specifically to what the Government of Canada is doing. I can speak specifically to this immigration program that has been established, and I can only commend those who came up with this plan to be able to vet Ukrainians who would be eligible to come over here. It

Finance committee  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to our work in Ukraine. It was my privilege on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Pearson International to receive 28 Ukrainians on an aircraft we had coming back from Poland and that landed in Toronto. I got to spend the entire afternoon with them at th

Finance committee  Yes. It was great to bring her to your office to talk about these details and to meet an example of someone who's trying to access charitable resources and can't do that under the current system. This new system would make it that much more difficult.

Finance committee  Yes, so the first one is to refine the proposed definition of “qualifying disbursement”. This is the mechanism that is the workaround for “own activities”. Remove the reference to disbursement meeting prescribed conditions, which relates to the 800 words, and replace it with a re

Finance committee  Yes, it's the second option you listed there. It would put a new set of requirements around this new mechanism. Nothing in the amendments gets rid of “own activities”. That still exists in the background.

Finance committee  Yes, the second one is to amend language related to “directed giving”. This was problematic. I think it came from amateur sports somewhere, and it was a restriction that would keep Canadian charities from contributing to pooled funds and supporting non-qualified donees. I think t

Finance committee  If the gift were given specifically for a local entity in Ukraine that we're engaged with and is accomplishing something consistent with our objects, yes, that would be difficult for us to do. It would be impossible for us to receive that gift, and it would be very restrictive. A

Finance committee  The third one is very simple. It's on the regulations that would be embedded into the Income Tax Act. Regulation 3703 needs to be deleted in its entirety. This would allow for regulations to be in the CRA guidance documents rather than exist as codified rules in the Income Tax Ac

Finance committee  Yes. The accountability frameworks that we are proposing would emerge from CRA guidance that would be developed according to the amendments that would be put into place. Again, nobody wants less accountability. We need accountability that's appropriate with the mechanisms that

Finance committee  Yes. You know, as I look back on my history working within the current system, I've lost count of the things that we've said “no” to because we couldn't establish these parameters of own activities or we couldn't negotiate an agreement with someone and offend them with telling th

Finance committee  As I mentioned, these amendments were submitted to this committee by Imagine Canada, Cooperation Canada and Philanthropic Foundations Canada. The first is specifically to change the qualifying disbursement mechanism, remove the reference to having it meet prescribed conditions an

Finance committee  I'll state from the outset that my experience isn't so much here in Canada, but is largely from working internationally. Nonetheless, I do know from the work we did last week on Hill days, when we were in Ottawa meeting with many of you and your staff and talking about these issu

Finance committee  Okay.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair and members of the finance committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today concerning Bill C-19, the budget implementation act, and specifics related to charities. I've spent 30 years working in the charitable sector. Back in August 2019, Samaritan'