A request for hearings into the controversial and divisive issue of federal audits of Canadian charities has been turned aside by the governing Conservatives.
The opposition New Democrats and Liberals wanted Canadian charities who have–or have had–policy differences with the Conservatives to appear before the House of Commons Finance Committee.
Tory MPs dismissed the request as “shameful,” branding it an attempt to tarnish the Canada Revenue Agency’s independence.
The charities say they have faced draining audits focused on whether or not they are in violation of federal limits on political activity.
The audits have sparked debate in Canada on whether they are politically motivated attempts to silence critics, especially critics of Conservative environmental policies.
The CRA and the government say those charges are false.
In their 2012 budget, after the Conservatives set aside an extra $8 million for the audits. Since then, the CRA says it has audited 52 charities and 12 of those cases are now closed.
Based on a government policy initiated in 2003 by the then-governing Liberal Party, charities are permitted to spend up to 10 per cent of their resources on political activities and are not allowed to endorse a party or a candidate.
The CRA has not publicly released the names of audited charities.
The ones that are known include Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada Without Poverty, CoDev, Equiterre, Environment Defence Canada Inc., Kairos, PEN Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation.
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