Fairness At The CRA
Holding the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) accountable for unfairly targeting Muslim-led Charities to promote fairness and equality.
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
Fairness At The CRA
Recent studies have revealed that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been disproportionately targeting Muslim-led charities for audits. The initial report on this issue, Under Layered Suspicion, a joint NCCM and U of T report, highlighted potential biases in the CRA’s audit practices, suggesting that Muslim organizations face heightened scrutiny compared to their non-Muslim counterparts.
Since then, NCCM has been working to address and rectify systemic biases within the CRA’s auditing processes. Our objectives include advocating for transparent and equitable audit practices, ensuring that Muslim-led charities are not unfairly targeted, and promoting policies that uphold the rights and freedoms of all Canadian Muslims.
Addressing fairness and Islamophobia within the CRA is imperative to uphold Canada’s commitment to justice, equality, and multiculturalism. Through awareness, advocacy, and action, we can work together towards a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
NCCM HAS SUCCESFULLY PUSHED FOR:
- Leaders to commit at a bipartisan level to dismantle the RAD and bring CRA oversight legislation.
- The Prime Minister to admit that there are challenges with systemic bias at the CRA towards Muslim charities.
- Groundbreaking research on the scope of the challenge at the CRA.
PHOTO: Ömer Faruk Yıldız
IMPACT STATS
100%
of all terrorist risk financing was associated with racialized communities, according to Government of Canada’s 2015 Risk Assessment Models.
This biased model changed after our work.
75%
Of all of the RAD’s audits were aimed at Muslim charities, despite Muslim charities representing 1% of all Canadian charities.
85%
of the RAD’s revocations were Muslim charities, despite representing 1% of all Canadian charities.
A SNAPSHOT - OUR WORK
March 2021 - NCCM and the U of T
launch "Layered Suspicion" Report
launch "Layered Suspicion" Report
Under Layered Suspicion identifies whole-of-government policies and patterns of audit practices that together demonstrate potential biases in Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audits of Muslim-led charities. Muslim-led charities have for years expressed concerns about the selection, frequency, and reasoning behind audits of their organizations. The findings from Under Layered Suspicion suggest that there is a basis for these concerns.
The launch of this report, the first of its kind, received national attention.
Spring 2021 - NCCM Advocacy Day on
Fairness at the CRA
Fairness at the CRA
Muslim leaders had dozens of virtual meetings from across Canada to urge political leaders from every party to take seriously the issue of unfair CRA audits in light of the concerns raised in the Under Layered Suspicion report.
July 2021 - NCCM Summit Recommendations
on Islamophobia and the CRA
on Islamophobia and the CRA
NCCM released 61 policy recommendations ahead of the National Summit on Islamophobia, addressing issues including the CRA’s audit practices. This included advocating for the suspension of the CRA’s Review and Analysis Division (RAD) pending review of Canada’s Risk-Based Assessment (RBA) model and its National Strategy to combat extremism and radicalization.
Following her participation at the Summit, after significant advocacy, the Minister of National Revenue, Ms. Diane Lebouthillier, asked the Office of the Taxpayers Ombudsperson (OTO) to conduct a systemic review to investigate the concerns expressed by certain charities run by Muslims about their treatment by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and to engage other charities led by racialized communities about their experiences with the CRA. The Minister specifically asked the OTO to pay special attention to the concerns related to the selection of files for audit purposes by the CRA’s RAD.
2022 - NCCM Raises Concerns About
Jurisdiction of the OTO
Jurisdiction of the OTO
The Taxpayers Ombudsperson Mr. François Boileau appeared before the Senate Committee on Human Rights and made clear in his remarks that his review of systemic racism at the CRA was at an “impasse” because his office is unable to access requisite disclosure from the CRA to be able to complete the review in a meaningful manner. This lack of access, according to the Ombudsperson, is due in part to the lack of transparency in matters related to national security.
NCCM raised concerns after this statement in relation to the inability of the OTO to complete his work.
April 2023 - Pierre Polievre commits
to dismantling systemic Islamophobia
at the CRA
to dismantling systemic Islamophobia
at the CRA
At the IMO Mosque, NCCM was there with Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Polievre when he announced his commitment to dismantle systemic Islamophobia and discrimination at the CRA.
Spring 2023 - The National Security
and Intelligence Review Agency
(NSIRA) announced a review of the
CRA's practices and the RAD
and Intelligence Review Agency
(NSIRA) announced a review of the
CRA's practices and the RAD
Given the lack of jurisdiction of the OTO, NSIRA was asked to conduct a review of systemic discrimination against Muslim charities by the CRA. NCCM called for action as from our perspective, the ball is simply being bounced from one investigatory body to the next.
December 2024 - Justice Committee
Report called for action on the RAD
and for the creation of an independent
CRA oversight body
Report called for action on the RAD
and for the creation of an independent
CRA oversight body
A 2024 study at the Justice Committee made further recommendations that the government move to take action in light of continuing concerns about systemic discrimination at the CRA, and to institute a CRA oversight body.
February 2025 - Liberal Leadership
candidates commit to dismantling the
RAD and for the creation of an
independent CRA oversight body
candidates commit to dismantling the
RAD and for the creation of an
independent CRA oversight body
Should she win the current federal Liberal leadership contest, Chrystia Freeland pledged to scrap a controversial division of the Canada Revenue Agency that Muslim charities and civil liberties advocates have long accused of discriminatory auditing practices.
In late February, she signed and sent a letter about her plan to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) about her plan to get rid of the Research and Analysis Division.
Freeland wrote in her letter: “No charity serving Canadians in good faith should operate under a cloud of unwarranted suspicion. There is well-documented evidence from civil society organizations and independent experts suggesting that the Review and Analysis Division has a bias against racialized charities.”
“This is why, if I become Prime Minister, I will dismantle the Review and Analysis Division of the CRA”.
CHARITIES ARE STILL AT RISK
Help us protect one of the pillars of faith, charity, by protecting our charitable institutions.
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