Mayor Gerry Furney asks Prime Minister of Canada to review the charitable status of U.S.-funded charities conducting activities that do not appear to be exclusively charitable

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Port McNeill is a town of approximately 3,000 people near the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

A few years ago, Port McNeill lost one of its largest employers when a fish processing plant closed there because of the controversy over salmon farming.  

The mayor of Port McNeill is Gerry Furney. He is one of British Columbia's best-loved and most highly respected mayors, and has been Mayor of Port McNeill for nearly 40 years.

Recently, Mayor Furney wrote to the Prime Minister of Canada to request a review of the charitable status of foreign-funded, registered charities that are conducting activities that do not appear to be exclusively charitable.

With Mayor Furney's permission, I have provided the text of his letter, below.  For Mayor Furney's original letter to our Prime Minister, please click here. 

 

Mayor Furney writes:

February 21, 2011

Dear Prime Minister:

As the Mayor of a resource-dependent community (forestry, mining, aquaculture), I have been greatly impressed by the well-researched articles of Vancouver writer Vivian Krause in recent issues of the National Post. She traces vast amounts of money being transferred by U.S. foundations to anti-indudstry Canadian foundations for distribution to these activist groups in Canada.

I understand that these foundations and the Canadian recipients all enjoy “tax-free” status under the guise of being “charitable.”

Having observed our resource companies and resource communities being the victims of some very unkind campaigns by these so-called charities, I have yet to observe or experience any “charitable” actions by them. In fact, their actions appear to be the antithesis of charity.

I believe that a review should be undertaken of all these organizations that claim to be “charitable,” to ensure that they meet the stringent “charitable” requirements of our Government. If they do not meet the charitable standard that we expect, then their tax-free status should be rescinded. Is this possible?

Your Sincerely,

Mayor Furney 

 
Port McNeill, British Columbia

Comments

[John Hunter]

Bless you Gerry,

John Hunter