In an open letter addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last Tuesday, dozens of Muslim-led organisations called on the head of government to make certain that the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson (OTO) has full access to all of the information required to carry out its independent review into how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audits and engages with Muslim-led charities. [1]
Over the past few years, numerous Muslim entities have criticised the CRA for seemingly Islamophobic practices. And in April of 2022, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) – the country’s largest Muslim charitable organisation – called out the revenue service as being “tainted by systemic bias and Islamophobia”. [2]
Last week, Canada’s leading Muslim organizations sent a letter to the Prime Minister laying out concerns around CRA transparency given an ongoing review of systemic racism and Islamophobia at the CRA. https://t.co/yJE4ftfgpw
— NCCM (@nccm) December 8, 2022
Signed by a staggering 78 Muslim organisations including the likes of Islamic Relief Canada, the Rohingya Centre of Canada, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Canada), and countless masājid and charitable groups, the signatories begin by stating,
“In the aftermath of the 2021 National Islamophobia Summit, we were heartened to see your commitment to ensure a review of the CRA’s auditing practices of Muslim charities.
“We warned, however, that the review would need to be comprehensive and that there would need to be transparency. Unfortunately, we write to you today to suggest that the above review is inherently flawed.” [1]
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson at an “impasse”
Published on the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) website in the customary French and English languages, the letter goes on to say that Muslim organisations remain concerned that the vital review into systemic racism at the CRA is being hampered by a lack of access to crucial documents.
As the letter states, the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman, François Boileau, has described being at an “impasse” due to the inability of his office to look at all of the relevant files to properly complete the review. [3]
Government sources have claimed that the access has thus far been denied on grounds of national security.
“We, the undersigned, representing Muslim-led organizations across the country, are writing to you today to express our concerns in light of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman’s statement before the Senate Committee on Human Rights on November 21, 2022 about the review of systemic racism at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
“The Ombudsman, Mr. François Boileau, made clear in his remarks that the review 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 Ombudsman, is due in part to the lack of transparency in matters related to national security.” [1]
In April of this year, the MAC launched a court challenge against the CRA for its perceived Islamophobia. In seeking to halt the agency’s audit into the country’s biggest Muslim organisation, the MAC said that the CRA had come up with a number of inappropriate claims, including the classification of Eid activities as “social” events that are not “religious” in nature. [2]
A statement issued by litigator Geoff Hall of McCarthy Tétrault LLP said of the court case,
“The Audit would never have been approached in the way it has been had the organisation in question been Christian, Jewish or Hindu.
“Facts which are innocuous, and that would be regarded as such for a faith-based organisation of a religion other than Islam, have been taken as a basis for suspicion of MAC and its activities.” [2]
The court filing against the CRA audit comes after years of lobbying and campaigning by Muslim organisations in Canada, who have argued that there is an institutional level of bias against Muslim legal entities.
In the case of the MAC, the entity is particularly fearful that following the completion of the CRA audit, the charity may lose its charitable tax status, which would in turn have a serious impact on its financial position and long-term stability.
Recommendations made to PM Trudeau
The NCCM advocacy group-released letter makes three recommendations that Trudeau ought to fulfil in order to allay and address the concerns expressed by the various Muslim organisations situated across the country.
They recommend that:
- A review body be established alongside the Ombudsman that brings together the Canada Revenue Agency, the Department of Finance, and Public Safety for a fulsome examination of systemic Islamophobia and racism;
- Requisite clearances and legislative frameworks be addressed at the outset such that the review can be completed with rigour and integrity in a timely manner; and
- To suspend the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) Review and Analysis Division (RAD) pending a real review of Canada’s Risk-Based Assessment model and its National Strategy to combat extremism and radicalization. [1]
The full list of signatories to the open letter is as follows:
- Al Nadwa Educational Islamic Centre
- Al Rashid Mosque
- Altaqwa Academy Foundation
- Anatolia Islamic Centre
- Bosnian Islamic Center of Hamilton
- British Columbia Museums Association
- Canadian Council of Imams
- Canadian Council of Indian Muslims
- Canadian Council of Muslim Women
- Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association
- Dar Alsunnah Institute
- Forum Musulman Canadien/Canadian Muslim Forum (FMC-CMF)
- Foundation for a Path Forward
- Fraser Mussala
- Hilm
- Human Concern International
- ICNA Canada
- Imam Mahdi Islamic Centre
- International Muslim Organization of Toronto
- Islamic Association of North West Calgary
- Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario
- Islamic Community Center
- Islamic Relief Canada
- Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Association of Edmonton (ISIA)
- Islamic Society of Ajax
- Islamic Society of Kingston
- Islamic Society of Markham
- Islamic Society of Toronto
- Jaffari Community Centre
- Jerrahi Sufi Order of Canada
- Justice for All Canada
- Kanata Muslim Association
- London Muslim Mosque
- MAC Vancouver Center
- Manitoba Islamic Association
- MarkazulIslam
- Mashed Al Rayyan
- Masjid Al-Salam
- Masjid AlHakim
- Masjid Darul Iman
- Masjid Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen ﷺ
- McMaster Ahlulbayt Islamic Society
- Muslim Advisory Council of Canada Muslim Association of Canada
- Muslim Association of Canada
- Muslim Associations of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Muslim Neighbour Nexus
- Muslims of Alliston
- Muslims of Dufferin
- Muslims of Shelburne Centre
- National Council of Canadian Muslims
- Nisa Homes
- North American Muslim Foundation
- North London Islamic Centre
- Olive Tree Foundation
- Queen’s University Muslim Student Association
- Relieve Humanity International
- Rohingya Centre of Canada
- Sabeel Muslim Youth and Community Center
- SALAM Project
- Scarborough Muslim Association
- Sheridan Muslim Students Association
- Simon Fraser University Thaqalayn Muslim Association
- Tamilnadu Multicultural Association of Canada (TMAC)
- Tawheed Community Centre
- Thaqalayn Muslim Association OTU
- Thaqalayn Muslim Association York University
- The Canadian-Muslim Vote
- The Ottawa Muslim Women’s Organization
- Think for Actions
- TMA McGill
- University of Calgary Muslim Students Association
- University of Ottawa Muslim Students Association
- University of Windsor’s Muslim Students Association
- UTM Thaqalayn Muslim Association
- UTSC Muslim Students’ Association
- Western University’s Thaqalayn Muslim Association
- York Region Muslims
- York University Muslim Students’ Association
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.nccm.ca/openletter-cra/
[2] https://www.trtworld.com/americas/muslim-association-of-canada-accuses-canada-tax-agency-of-islamophobia-56331
[3] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-taxpayer-ombudsperson-goes-public-over-impasse-with-cra-over-muslim/
