Are Jewish Charities Targeted by Canada Revenue Agency due to Political Pressure? Read article by Bill Narvey

Was CRA Free of Anti-Israel Bias In Its October and November 2025 Decisions To Revoke The Tax Status of Five Jewish Charities?   It appears not.  Our Jewish Leadership Must Demand and Get the truth from CRA. 

The Canadian Jewish News reported on November 21^st, 2025 that CRA, since mid October 2025 had investigated and revoked the tax status designation of five Canadian Jewish charities: 

Herut Canada is the latest Jewish charity to lose its tax status  This report states that CRA’s investigation and consequent revocation of Herut’s tax status was due to inadequate record keeping required by tax regulations. It is reported that CRA’s investigation of Herut followed the repeated urgings of Pro-Palestinian-anti-Israel Just Peace Advocates Just Peace Advocates – for Justice, Freedom and Equality:

“Auditors insisted on completing the process, however—and he says they told him there had been numerous complaints about the organization made to CRA. Online posts by a group called Just Peace Advocates had promoted a letter-writing campaign to the tax regulator to strip Herut Canada of its charitable status.”

The report goes on to identify the other Jewish CRA targets cited in that originating statement that has led to some discussion set out below:

“With the revocation of Herut Canada’s foundation on Nov. 15, CRA has now revoked three organizations since mid-October 2025, including Herut Canada Charitable Foundation; Canadian Foundation for Masorti Judaism, revoked Oct. 25; and Mazel Charity Fund, revoked Oct. 18. In 2024, the tax regulator revoked the charitable status of two other Jewish charities, the Jewish National Fund of Canada (JNF-Canada) and Ne’eman Foundation.

“We encourage the CRA to continue investigating charities that violate international and domestic law, as well as Canadian public policy (whether from Global Affairs [Canada] or the CRA itself),” Just Peace Advocates wrote. “The CRA must end the Canada to Israel charity pipeline.”

During former PM Trudeau’s 10 year tenure as Federal Liberal government leader, antisemitism was steadily rising in Canada. That antisemitism included anti-Israelism that met the IHRA antisemitism definition ie. Criticism of Israel that went beyond criticism of Israeli policies and instead were criticisms and accusations that amounted to demonization and delegitimization of the Jewish State of Israel and which accusations were based on a higher standard of conduct that no other nation ever was judged by. 

Canada adopted that definition in 2019: Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism - Canada.ca which states inter alia:

“In 2019, as part of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, Canada formally adopted a definition of antisemitism.^Footnote8 Canada’s official definition of antisemitism is the non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA Definition). The IHRA Definition is the leading definition of antisemitism worldwide,^Footnote9 the product of a 16-year-long democratic, iterative process. As of the date of publication, it has been adopted or endorsed by 43 countries, multiple international organizations, and multiple governments and entities within Canada.”

In considering the foregoing, it is worth reflecting back on history of the attitudes of our Federal government over the last 10 years regarding  antisemitism which it recognized for the most part in nice sounding, but empty platitudes. Post October 7^th, 2023 our Federal government became increasingly critical of Israel in her counter offensive against the evil Hamas forces as it began to voice the false Hamas propaganda accusations of Israel starving so called innocent Gazan Palestinians and then committing genocide against them.  

Reflecting on the recent CRA revocation of Tax Status for 5 Jewish organizations within the context of this history, raises a distinct possibility and serious questions as to whether CRA was less than objective and more so influenced by the aforesaid increasingly anti-Israel views of our Federal government in their decision to heed the repeated attempts of Just Peace Advocates to convince CRA to investigate and then to cancel the Tax status of these 5 Jewish charitable organizations?  

Our CRA had to know that Just Peace Advocates was a Pro-Hamas/Palestinian-anti-Israel-anti-Zionist-antisemitic organization. 

Former PM Trudeau during his time in office, pandered to Canada’s Muslim community for electoral support and in furtherance thereof to the Arab Middle East and Arab Palestinians.  The Muslim community constituted 5% of Canada’s population whereas our Canadian Jewish population was just under 1%.   

Over the years Jewish leaders continued to appeal to PM Trudeau to recognize and take action against rising antisemitism.  In July 2022, PM Trudeau finally responded by announcing a Federal summit on antisemitism would be soon held.  In the same breath however, PM Trudeau announced that a federal summit on Islamophobia would be held the next day.  Islamophobia was and is the weaponized word used by the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Council of Canadian Muslims – NCCM, formerly CAIR-CAN.  CAIR-CAN changed its name to NCCM to distance itself from the increasingly apparent pro-Palestinian-Muslim-anti-Israel-antisemitic reputation that CAIR had in the U.S.  PM Trudeau adopted that weaponized Islamic word Islamophobia as that was the word being used by all Muslims in speaking of anti-Muslim bigotry which of course inferred that any one who expressed anti-Muslim bigoted views was also condemning Islam. 

Then as now, anti-Muslim bigotry in Canada was miniscule compared to antisemitism which is by far the greatest religious based form of bigotry in Canada to this day.   

By PM Trudeau having made that announcement in July 2022 and carried through with it, he drew a false moral equivalence between anti-Muslim and antisemitic bigotry.  Furthermore, PM Trudeau turned a blind eye to the fact that a large if not majority measure of anti-Israelism-antisemitism came from Canada’s Muslim community that he was always pandering to.  In his pandering PM Trudeau made efforts to avoid saying or doing anything that would be seen as offensive to the sensitivities and sensibilities of our Canadian Muslim community.  

October 7^th, 2023, saw Jew-Israel hatred skyrocket in Canada as it did internationally.  PM Trudeau at first did condemn Hamas, call for return of the hostages and for a cease fire.  Those calls soon began to change as PM Trudeau, ever willing to go along to get along, joined a growing Western and international chorus of voices becoming increasingly critical of Israel’s counter offensive in Gaza.  That soon led to PM Trudeau along with so many Western nations, like France and Britain, swallowing Hamas’ false Israel hating propaganda issued by the Gaza Health Ministry run by Hamas and repeating it as part of their foreign policy positions.  That too led PM Trudeau to announce Canada would no longer support Israel with aid or military equipment.  Further Trudeau by his then Foreign Minister Joly announced that Canada would heed the International Criminal Court - ICC decision that member nations issue warrants for the arrests of PM Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, should they step on Canadian soil. 

Very quickly post October 7^th, huge hordes of pro-Hamas/Palestinian-anti-Israel-anti-Zionist-antisemitic Muslims and equally bigoted left-wing ideologues labeled “protesters”, began to infiltrate and trespass into and onto campuses and major streets across Canada as they did in the U.S. and elsewhere.  There they spread their Israel-Jew hatred including using tactics to intimidate and spread fear among Jewish students and the Jewish communities at large.  These anti-Israel-antisemitic hordes were inciting violence against Jews and indeed we have seen or read Jews and Jewish businesses being attacked as well as synagogues and Jewish institutions were verbally assaulted, frightening those Jews including children present in these institutions.

In spite of this all out assault on our Jewish community at large, our former PM Trudeau said or did little to nothing to stop these protesters. PM Carney carried on as former PM Trudeau did. 

Similarly provincial and city leaders did little to nothing to counter these protesters.  Thus they all contributed to enabling these protesters to carry on as they had.  So too our police forces that focused virtually only on crowd control and thus did little to nothing about the protesters lest they or anyone present said or did something that would anger the already angry protesters even more and spark the protesters to violence.   

Failing to take any action against these protesters amounted to enabling them to continue to engage in their Jew-Israel assaults and attacks.  Enablement was for these protesters, tantamount to permission and even support for their pro-Hamas/Palestinian-anti-Israel-anti-Zionist- antisemitic bigoted rage. 

Then PM Carney took PM Trudeau’s pandering to our Muslim community, the Muslim Arab world and to the Palestinians in particular a major step further.  On July 30^th, 2025, PM Carney following the lead of France and then Britain, announced that Canada would at the next September 80^th UN session would recognize a non-existent Palestinian State.  Hamas profusely thanked PM Carney.  At that 80^th session, Canada joined 176 UN member nations to recognize the non-existent Palestinian State. 

Following PM Carney’s lead, Manitoba’s NDP Premier Kinew authorized Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba – CPAM Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba - CPAM | Facebook  led by well known pro-Palestinian-anti-Israel-anti-Zionist-antisemite Ramsey Zeid to raise the Palestinian flag in Memorial Park just across the street from the Manitoba Legislature building.  That happened on November 15^th, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. which date coincides with Palestinian Independence Day, first declared in 1988 by Yasser Arafat, the then head of the terrorist Islamic Jihadi genocidal Israel-Jew hating organization, the Palestinian Liberation Organization - PLO during the first murderous intifada, carried out by his PLO terrorists against innocent Israeli Jews.  A number of federal, provincial and or city political dignitaries attended that flag raising. 

There are some Muslim organizations in Canda that are affiliated with a number of extremist networks including the Muslim Brotherhood that are not only pro-Hamas/Palestinian-anti-Israel-antisemitic, but anti-Western Judeo Christian democrat nations that poses a security risk to Canada: Canada Faces Rising National Security Risk from Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration, Report Warns » ISGAP  

“This report is a wake-up call for all Canadians,” said Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP. “The Canadian government’s direct funding of organizations with documented links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas is a betrayal of public trust and a threat to Canada’s national security. Our report exposes how federal agencies have become complicit in sustaining and legitimizing networks that promote antisemitic and anti-Israel ideologies under the guise of charity and social welfare. These entities are exploiting the very values of tolerance and pluralism that Canada holds dear, weaponizing public institutions against Jewish communities and undermining Canadian democracy itself.”

The influence of the Muslim Brotherhood became increasingly evident across Canada following the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, which were followed by an unprecedented surge in antisemitism. In 2024, reports documented a 670% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to previous years…….

“The report identifies six key organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood network, some of which continue to receive Canadian federal support according to the Canada Revenue Agency, despite documented ties to extremist networks: Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), Islamic Relief Canada (IRC), Arab Medical Union, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)-Canada, National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), and the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN-Canada).” 

Just Peace Advocates that pushed CRA to open investigations of the 5 Jewish charities aforesaid, is not nearly the largest of a very great many pro-Palestinian-anti-Israel-anti-Zionist-antisemitic organizations in Canada. There are many others, some of which include:   

Independent Jewish Voices - IJV  Independent Jewish Voices Canada – Voix juives indépendantes Canada ,  The American Equivalent of IJV Jewish Voice for Peace,

Just Peace Advocates Just Peace Advocates – for Justice, Freedom and Equality , National Students for Justice in Palestine National SJP  , Canada Palestine Association  , Home - Palestinian Canadian Congress (PCC) , Canadian BDS Coalition – …working together to promote justice for Palestinians. and its coalition members  are listed nationally and in 8 provinces: 

Coalition Members – Canadian BDS Coalition , Palestinian Canadian Community Association | Celebrating Culture & Building Connections | PCCA , Falastini Advocates for Liberation  ,  Stand For Justice | Canadians For Palestine,   Endorsing Organizations — VOTE PALESTINE – Scroll down and see the very many endorsers of this site,  Ontario Palestinian Rights Association (OPRA)

Canadian Palestinian Solidarity Organization Turning Political Strategy into Grassroots Force ;  Canada Palestine Association

In summary, history over the last 10 years has demonstrated that our Federal government’s policies on Israel and the Palestinians has been to support a two state solution, to respect the anti-Israel-antisemitic Obama enabled UNSCR 2334, to condemn all Israeli settlement activity and leave resolution of the Israel vs. Palestinian conflict to negotiations in future.  A far more detailed explanation of Canada’s foreign policy in that regard is at: “Canadian policy on key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

History has also demonstrated that despite the steady rise of antisemitism in Canada over the last 10 years that has caused our Jewish community growing concerns, fears and insecurities, our Federal government has for the most part paid only lip service by issuing empty platitudes, but no meaningful action against antisemitism.  Further our Federal government has pandered to Canada’s Muslim community for electoral support.   

Since October 7^th, our Federal government’s words, deeds and policies have turned increasingly to swallowing, adopting and repeating as part of Canada’s policy Hamas’/Palestinians’ false Jew-Israel hating propaganda just as the foregoing noted Palestinian and Muslim organizations by condemning Israel first for unnecessarily and brutally keeping its counter offensive against Hamas going, starving innocent Gazans and committing genocide against them. 

It is against this historical background that CRA’s ultimate decision to revoke the tax status of 5 Jewish charities in October and November 2025 appears not to have been entirely objective and unbiased. 

We Jews cannot let this rest for it gives rise to an additional concern that the CRA if it can go after Jewish charities as it has, it could with untoward motives, begin to single out Jewish taxpayers to audit their tax returns. 

Our Jewish leadership must dare to confront our Federal government and its CRA with the facts aforesaid that strongly suggest anti-Israel bias played a role, if not a significant role in its investigation of 5 Jewish charities and the revocation of their tax status.  Our leadership must demand full, objective and verifiable answers in this regard and not stop until we get the truth from the CRA.