VICTORY: Churches and Pro-Life Groups Spared in Carney Budget
Campaign Life Coalition is breathing a sigh of relief that churches and pro-life organizations were not stripped of their charitable status in the Carney Liberal budget released today. The budget notably did not adopt two controversial recommendations made by the Finance Committee that would have removed charitable status from both religious institutions and pro-life organizations, measures that, if enacted, would have devastated the charitable sector in Canada.
“Canadians from across the country pushed back strongly against these proposals, and the government listened,” said Jeff Gunnarson, National President of Campaign Life Coalition. “This is a victory for religious freedom and for the Canadian values of helping the vulnerable, offering a compassionate hand, and being present to those in crisis.”
Gunnarson said the fact that recommendations 429 and 430 appeared in the Finance Committee report at all represented a “serious lapse in judgment” by the all-party committee.
“The Liberal government was right to listen to ordinary citizens and faith leaders and ultimately reject these outrageous recommendations,” he said. “Thanks be to God, Canada lives to see another day without a dark cloud of persecution hanging over religious and pro-life organizations.”
“This victory belongs to the concerned citizens across Canada who took the time to sign a petition or write a letter to their MP or the Finance Minister,” he said. “This proves that when enough people speak out, good things can happen.”
At the same time, Gunnarson cautioned that while the Liberals backed away from these specific recommendations, common sense is still absent from this budget. He pointed to new spending such as $54.6 million over five years (with $10.9 million ongoing) directed to the 2SLGBTQI+ “community sector,” including $7.5 million over five years (with $1.5 million ongoing) specifically for “Pride Security.”
“This kind of ideologically driven spending continues to prioritize activist agendas over the urgent needs of ordinary Canadian families who are struggling to feed their children, pay rent, and afford groceries,” Gunnarson said.
Jack Fonseca, Campaign Life Coalition’s Director of Political Operations, urged Canadians to remain vigilant.
“This was likely a trial balloon to gauge public reaction,” he said. “When Canadians raised a loud and unified protest, the attack was withdrawn. But we must remain on guard against future attempts by unethical governments to undermine the very foundation of civil society.”
About Campaign Life Coalition
Campaign Life Coalition is a national, non-profit organization involved in political action and advocacy for legal and cultural change in Canada with respect to protecting human life & the family.