Good news, maybe?

This is a first. Justin Trudeau responded to a letter of mine. 

I have written to Justin Trudeau many times before. Many, many times. He has never responded to anything I've written to him. Never, nada, zilch, zero times. Not in this century. But now he has.

Now I know it doesn't actually respond to my concerns about pro-abortion groups misinforming women about abortion. But it's a start, right?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Prime Minister | Premier Ministre <PM@pm.gc.ca>
Date: Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 9:38 AM
Subject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre
To: Patricia Maloney <maloneyp64@gmail.com>
Cc: Chrystia Freeland, P.C.,M.P. <dcu-ucm@fin.gc.ca>

Dear Ms. Maloney:

On behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding policies on charities.

Please be assured that your comments have been carefully reviewed. In your correspondence, you raise an issue that falls within the portfolio of the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. I have therefore taken the liberty of forwarding your email to Deputy Prime Minister Freeland so that she may be made aware of your concerns.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

Executive Correspondence Officer | Agent de correspondance

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then this. I also received a response from Ms. Freeland. Notice what she says:

"These requirements apply equally to registered charities that provide reproductive health services to Canadians."

Well I think this is good news?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Chrystia Freeland <Chrystia.Freeland@fin.gc.ca>
Date: Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 4:27 PM
Subject: RE: 011458 - Misinformation from charities
To: maloneyp64@gmail.com <maloneyp64@gmail.com>

Dear Ms. Maloney: 

Thank you for your correspondence of January 13, 2023, which was referred by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, regarding the services provided by crisis pregnancy centres and the charitable status of these organizations.

Canadian tax incentives for charitable donations are considered to be amongst the most generous in the world.  In 2020, Canadians claimed $11 billion in donations to registered charities and qualified donees, resulting in $3.1 billion in federal tax relief for individuals under the Charitable Donation Tax Credit.  Additionally, corporations deducted $3.1 billion in donations, receiving approximately $710 million in federal tax assistance under the charitable donation tax deduction.

Given this generosity and other tax privileges provided to charities, organizations that choose to register as charities are required to follow a particular set of rules set out in the Income Tax Act.  These rules are primarily designed to ensure that donated funds are used for charitable purposes, protecting public trust in the charitable sector as a whole.

All registered charities are required to ensure that the information that they provide is accurate and evidence-based, and are prohibited from disseminating information that is false or misleading.  These requirements apply equally to registered charities that provide reproductive health services to Canadians.

The Canada Revenue Agency is responsible for ensuring that only organizations that meet the requirements are registered as charities, and does so while respecting Canadians' right to freedom of expression and freedom of conscience and religion under the Charter.

Department of Finance Canada officials are continually reviewing tax matters to ensure that the existing system is as fair and as current as possible.  In this regard, your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Consultations and Communications Branch