Lutherans for Life Denied Charitable Status
By Joanne Byfield

Lutherans for Life-Canada is a small organization of pro-life Lutherans who seek to educate others in their faith on life issues. LFL had applied to the Canada Revenue Agency for a charitable tax number to assist with its educational work. The charitable number allows groups to issue tax receipts to its donors. Last month the group learned that its request had been rejected on a second appeal.
           
LFL-C based its request under CRA’s rules on the advancement of religion and the advancement of education. In its rejection of the group’s request, the CRA said that “we conclude that it [LFL-C] main object is pro-life advocacy and not advancement of religion as defined by the courts.” On the issue of educational advancement, the group was disqualified because “educational activities do require making an unbiased presentation of the facts according to the SCC [Supreme Court of Canada].”
           
The CRA upheld the earlier rejection by the Charities Directorate after reviewing LFL-C’s printed materials. “We agree with the CD that these activities and materials present opinions on controversial issues with a certain degree of bias and persuasion that places the organization’s goals within the political scope in the broad sense of the term. These activities are not charitable and require more than 10% of the charity’s resources.”
           
In the group’s newsletter, President Glenn Schaeffer said, “Although this is a disappointing setback it will not stop us from continuing to educate fellow Lutherans concerning life issues.”
           
It is disappointing that Canada’s Charities Directorate continues to exhibit this bias against pro-life groups. Planned Parenthood, under whatever name it calls itself these days, continues to enjoy charitable status. It also receives generous grants from all levels of government. The group promotes abortion, lobbies against crisis pregnancy centres and encourages sexual activity among teens. Canadian taxpayers are forced to support these activities on the basis of decisions made largely by bureaucrats at various levels of government.
           
The United States has a much fairer system of handling charitable organizations. It does not pick and choose based on the biases of the government or revenue agency. There, as long as groups do not lobby for or against a particular candidate during an election campaign, they can obtain charitable status. This produces a much healthier and balanced debate among the competing views on any subject.
           
We hope that “Canada’s New Government,” as the Conservatives have taken to calling themselves, will change this blatantly unfair system so that the views of all Canadians can be equally represented in the public square.

Joanne Byfield is the President of LifeCanada.  This article first appeared in The Rose and is reprinted with permission.