Finance committee  I just wanted to clarify one matter. A gentleman said that the Muslim Association of Canada had its charitable status revoked, and it hasn't. So I just wanted to clarify that.

Finance committee  Well, thank you, Mr. Chair, for the question. Certainly the checklist is a step in the right direction. It was introduced in 2009, updated in 2010, so we certainly applaud CRA for having that in place. But it's not adequate in itself and it's certainly not what—

Finance committee  When you compare it to the FATF guidelines, and if you take a look at the U.S. Treasury guidelines, at the Charity Commission of England and Wales, they have much more comprehensive terms. What you have is a very short list that does not give justice to the complexities of what'

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  No, the question was if any had become a listed entity. In relation to charitable status, that's a totally different matter. Just to clarify, lots of charities lose their charitable status, and some of them lose their charitable status because of questions concerning involvement

Finance committee  Yes, I'll speak to that just briefly. Back in 2007 this committee made a recommendation that CRA should consult with the charitable sector to develop made-in-Canada best practice guidelines to assist charities to be able to comply. Justice Major for the Air India inquiry back i

Finance committee  Sir, what you have just described is exactly the response I get from members of charities' boards of directors when I explain what the law is, and particularly the section dealing with facilitation, which says “directly or indirectly facilitate”.

Finance committee  Exactly.

Finance committee  That is the way the law is written. It exceeds the recommendations and the international standards of FATF and other UN bodies. We have much more onerous legislation in Canada than anywhere else in the world.

Finance committee  Just to clarify, there are not 170,000—

Finance committee  —85,000, but there are non-profits.

Finance committee  I know of only one.

Finance committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. It's my privilege to be asked to be here today as a witness dealing with the matter of terrorist financing. My focus will be on the matter of best practice measures for charities and non-profit organizations. As background,