On Parliament Hill

This week I had the honour to rise in the House of Commons and speak to Canadians about my Private Members’ Bill – The Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act, Bill C-239.

Parliamentarians get very few opportunities during their time as elected officials to present legislation and so I count myself fortunate to be drawn first for MPs to introduce a Private Members’ Bill in the 42nd Parliament. It took a great deal of consideration to arrive at Bill and I consider it important to take a few moments to explain how I arrived at this idea.

When I found out that my name had been drawn to be the first to introduce a Private Member’s Bill, I quickly decided to gather input from you, my constituents. I asked for feedback and spoke with many people and organizations in Provencher. The input I received was overwhelmingly clear: people want a law that protects the rights of the unborn. So, I did a little research.

Here in Canada, there are no laws in place that protect the rights of the unborn child. There are also no guidelines governing when and why termination of a pregnancy can be procured.

In 1988 when the Supreme Court of Canada, in a divided decision, struck down Canada’s existing law banning abortion, they also indicated that Parliament had the right to establish protection for the unborn child.  Unfortunately, past governments have not modernized human rights protections for individuals at early stages of life.  We are among only a handful of nations in the world that lack these protections.

I believe this to be a serious failing on the part of previous governments.

Many Canadians think there are at least some regulations governing this issue, but that is simply not the case.

Here in Canada there tends to be a kneejerk reaction to the word abortion. It has been a polarizing issue in this country and the word has various associations for every individual.

This became apparent to me when I originally wanted to craft a piece of legislation that would at the very least align our laws on this issue with that of our allies and other developed countries. However, after a great deal of discussion and consultation, it became apparent that I would not be able to garner sufficient support from the honourable members of this House, despite the strong commitment many of my colleagues show towards protecting the vulnerable.  I recognized that a private member’s bill updating these protections would not become law, at this time.

If Canada is going to continue to be a nation that is blessed, I believe that it must draft and pass legislation that protects the rights of women, which was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court, but it must also put in place protection for the unborn child. I think that we need to start a national conversation and I believe that we as Canadians are capable of discussing this issue with open hearts and informed minds, ultimately coming up with the right solution.  No Law is not a solution!

However, there are some things we can all agree on.

Bill C-239, the Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act, is a bill that would correct the considerable gap between Federal tax credits given for donations to political parties as opposed to Federal tax credits given for donations to charities.

Feeding politicians should not be more important than feeding the hungry, than healing the sick, than educating the poor or restoring the broken-hearted. This is not right and it is not fair. I do not believe that our current tax treatment of charitable donations reflects our Canadian values.

The work that charities do is indispensable. There are many people who benefit from the services they provide. They change lives and I think we can all agree that we have been touched in many ways by the great work that charities provide to our communities.

Make no mistake; government services provide much needed help to Canadians who are struggling, but let’s be honest, government cannot do it all.

There are many gaps in our system, and charities fill those gaps. Every single day and night across Canada, charities provide food for the hungry, beds for the homeless, help to the hurting, support for the aging and hope to the sick. Charites advance scientific and medical research and Charities promote education and care for our environment. Charities especially faith-based have been very instrumental in the re-settlement of refugee families.

However, despite the incredible impact that charities have on our lives and Country, the fact remains that Canadian charities are faced with an aging and ever declining donor base. I fear that should this trend continue, eventually Canadian charities that provide important services will be forced to close their doors. When surveyed by Statistics Canada, the #1 reason that people stated they don’t give more is because they could not afford to give a higher donation. This was the reason given by 71% of Canadians surveyed.

So how do we encourage Canadians to get into the practice of making regular charitable donations?

Currently an imbalance exists in how different types of donations are treated in Canada. Federal tax credits for political contributions far exceed federal tax credits for donations to charities.

Through Bill C-239, donors to registered charities would receive the same generous federal tax credits that donors to political parties currently receive. This bill will provide the largest incentive to the largest segments of the population – those who currently donate under $400 per year as well as those who currently do not donate at all. If we can accomplish this, your favourite charities, and indeed charities all across Canada, will benefit greatly as more dollars will be freed up for donations. This will make it easier for small donors to become larger donors, and for people who do not currently donate, to start.

Here’s how it will work:

Under the Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act, Canadians donating to registered Canadian Charities would receive the following:

• A 75% federal tax credit on the first $400 of total annual donations.
• You would receive a 50% federal tax credit on the next $350 of total annual donations.
• And a 33.3% federal tax credit on all total annual donations over $750.

These federal tax credits would now be in line with federal political tax donation credits. The same percentage benefit at the same thresholds. Now that’s fairness.

The Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act will level the playing field between donations to political parties and donations to registered charitable organizations. It will also:

• encourage charitable giving by offering a more generous federal tax benefit.
• increase the number of Canadians giving to charities.
• strengthen and empower charities.
• make it easier for small donors to become larger donors, and for people who do not currently donate, to start.
• reduce the burden on government social services, thus freeing up public resources for other important priorities.

We need to put an end to a system that is both unfair and unjust. Feeding politicians should not be more important than feeding the hungry. This is a bill for all Canadians and I believe can be supported by all parties.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this bill as well.