Pregancy centre' charitable status survives ’26 budget

For the second year in a row, pro-life Canadians greeted the official unveiling of the federal budget with a sigh of relief.

Campaign Life Coalition, the political arm of the Canadian pro-life community, was pleased to see that budget recommendation 65, pushed by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada and added to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s pre-budget report, was officially rejected.

The contentious proposal called for amendments to the Income Tax Act that would compel “greater transparency from anti-abortion pregnancy centres in order to mitigate harm to clients and prevent the misuse of charitable status” — effectively removing charitable status under the act for these centres.

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Campaign Life Coalition president Jeff Gunnarson welcomed the news "on behalf of the thousands of women and families who rely on pregnancy care centres across Canada,” and said recommendation 65 was not about true transparency.

“It was an ideologically motivated attempt to single out and burden pro-life charities simply because they offer women real alternatives to abortion — including material support, parenting resources and adoption connections,” he said. "We are pleased the government has chosen not to advance it.”

Conversely, Development and Peace - Caritas Canada (DPCC), the official international solidarity organization for the Canadian Catholic Church, expressed disappointment in an advocacy brief for maintained cuts to official development assistance (ODA). Budget 2025 reduced planned international assistance funding by $2.7 billion over four years.

“Avoiding further cuts to an already insufficient budget is not a cause for celebration, and we remain committed to urging Canada to increase its spending on ODA,” co-wrote DPCC advocacy officer Kiegan Irish and research and advocacy officer Dean Dettloff. “Over the past several months, Canadians passionate about international solidarity have called, written to and met with their Members of Parliament to show that the government would find supporters across the country if it chose to take a leadership role on the world stage when it comes to international aid and development. It is a shame that the government has chosen to ignore these voices.”

The International Assistance Envelope (IAE), the official term describing Canada’s whole-of-government resources used to fund and coordinate out-of-country aid and development assistance, grew from $5.5 billion in 2019-20 to $10.3 billion in 2024-25. Global Affairs Canada stated the reduction in IAE reflects a return to pre-pandemic spending.

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Meanwhile, there is a new provision simplifying the Clergy Residence Deduction (CFD) by giving eligible clergy, religious order members and regular ministers of a religious denomination the option to claim a flat housing deduction of $1,000 per qualifying month and up to $12,000 annually. Alternatively, they could opt for the existing calculations.

The proposed parameters now are that if an employer provides the home, the eligible clergy may deduct the full value of the housing and utilities included in their taxable employment income. Eligible clergy who rent or own their home are authorized to deduct the smallest of the following amounts:

• The higher of $1,000 per qualifying month (up to $10,000) or one-third of their annual pay from their job.
• Housing costs: rent or the home’s fair rental value, plus eligible utilities, during qualifying employment, minus overlapping deductions.
• Their annual pay from the qualifying job.

Deina Warren, director of legal affairs for the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC), in a statement said the CCCC welcomes the proposal to simplify the Clergy Residence Deduction.

“While we anticipate that some clergy may track expenses and make calculations to determine whether the simplified or traditional method makes the most sense for their circumstances, we appreciate the government's efforts to make the process easier,” wrote Warren. "We would encourage the government to consult with clergy and religious organizations to ensure that the proposed changes achieve their intended purpose of simplification and do not negatively impact claimants.”

From a broader perspective, Warren added that “we are pleased to see the government continue to recognize and affirm the important role clergy have in Canadian society, including the spiritual care, community support and service they provide to people across the country.”

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Leading up to the unveiling of Budget 2026, branded “Masters of Our Destiny, on Nov. 5, The Catholic Register engaged with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCEHT) about its budget recommendations. The organization asked for a stated commitment for a new well-funded and resourced National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking to launch in May 2027, but no such declaration was present.

There was no money earmarked expressly for anti-trafficking initiatives included in the $602.6 billion in projected spending for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)