Bulletin
New Regulatory Regime for Charities
FROM:
JUL-AUG 2005 ISSUE
An improved regulatory regime for registered charities came into force in May 2005 as part of
Bill C-33,
a second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 23, 2004.
Key legislative changes include:
- New alternatives to revoking a charity's registration for non-compliance in the form of intermediate sanctions, that will provide graduated financial penalties for non-compliance.
- More information about charities that are not complying with the rules because the CRA will be able to publicize that a sanction has been applied to a particular registered charity.
- A new impartial system for considering and appealing CRA decisions concerning registration as well as on the new sanctions.
The Government of Canada has committed $12 million per year to support the Charities Regulatory Reform Initiative with a goal to increasing public and voluntary sector confidence in the regulation of charities and improving the way in which charities are regulated.