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Sherry Griffin recently interviewed Barry W. Bussey on the Canadian House of Commons Finance Committee’s report recommending the removal of the Advancement of Religion as a charitable purpose under the Income Tax Act. Sherry is the Music Director of Lighthouse FM in St. John’s, Newfoundland and she wanted to talk to Barry about this very important development that occurred late last year but there has been little to no discussion about this issue in the current 2025 Federal Election.
Barry provides some historical background on the charitable purpose for the Advancement of Religion and explains why it remains an important part of Canadian charity law. Barry also edited a book, The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law that provides important background on this issue.
“’The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law’ is an apologetic for maintaining the presumption of public benefit for the charitable category ‘advancement of religion’ in democratic countries within the English common law tradition. In response to growing academic and political pressure to reform charity law – including recurring calls to remove tax exemptions granted to religious charities – the scholars in this volume analyse the implications of legislative and legal developments in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the process, they also confront more fundamental, sociological or philosophical questions on the very nature and role of religion in a secular society that would deny any space for religious communities outside their houses of worship. In other words, this book is concerned with the place of religion – and religious institutions – in contemporary society. It represents a series of concerns about the proper role of the state in relation to the differing beliefs of citizens – some of which will quite rightly manifest in actions to benefit the wider society. This debate, then, naturally engages with broader issues related to secularism, civic engagement and liberal democratic freedoms.”
You can obtain a copy of The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law at:
https://anthempress.com/the-status-of-religion-and-the-public-benefit-in-charity-law-pbhttps://www.amazon.ca/Status-Religion-Public-Benefit-Charity/dp/1785273620/
