Sharmila Khare

Communications about the review of the Lobbying Act, including the Commissioner of Lobbying’s recommendations to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. Discussion about the impact of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review on the Nonprofit sector Preparation for e-filing webinars for charities; Discussion about the Comprehensive Expenditure Review Supporting implementation of Senate Committee recommendations on the charitable sector. Addressing disruptions to donations due to postal strikes; tax credit timing adjustments. Advocating for financial relief and policy responses to emergencies and rising issues (e.g., tariffs). Inclusion of charities in SME-focused programs like Mitacs and BDC advisory services. Budget consultations re: charitable giving incentives, regulatory reforms, and program access. Bill S-222 and S-216: Amendments enabling partnerships with non-qualified donees. Support for the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience and digital skills development. Supporting sector-wide digital capacity and transformation. Advancing reform of the disbursement quota for registered charities. Improving access and equity in federal funding programs for nonprofits and charities. Strengthening workforce supports for paid and unpaid nonprofit labour. Supporting federal data collection (e.g., Satellite Account, national nonprofit surveys). Advocating for a federal “home” in government for the nonprofit sector. Building knowledge on the activities of the nonprofit sector.

Taxation and Finance: Canada must ensure, fairness, accountability and transparency regarding CRA decisions that impact Jewish charities. Provide economic support for the charitable and not-for-profit sector through a direct granting program. Donations from Canadians should be incentivized through a temporary enhancement of the charitable giving tax credit, or through a donor matching program, whereby the government matches donations from Canadians. Religion: Include a question on religion in every census, instead of every second census. National Security/Security (3): A ministerial directive to the RCMP and CSIS to prioritize and intensify monitoring, intelligence collection, investigations, disruption, and enforcement against antisemitic and Islamist violent extremism, as well as against foreign actors seeking to sponsor or exploit protests in Canada. National Security/Security (2): Continued support for revocation of citizenship in cases involving war crimes, crimes against humanity, terrorism, and extreme promotion of hate; strengthened screening to bar entry and deny citizenship to individuals who pose security threats or have ties to extremist or terrorist organizations; removal of individuals already in Canada who obtained status through false representation; establishment of a fast-track removal stream for high-risk individuals linked to foreign extremist organizations; accelerated removals for individuals convicted of violent crimes; and standalone immigration consequences for expressing support for listed terrorist entities, even in the absence of criminal convictions. National Security (1): Canada Community Security Program (CCSP): Sustained and recurrent funding and program optimization; support for life-saving protective measures for communities at risk, particularly the Jewish community; funding for capital security upgrades and training; and ongoing support for security guards and paid duty officers. Justice and Law Enforcement (2): Conflict of Interests, Foreign Interference, Ethics, Lobbying, Canada Revenue Agency. Ensuring CIJA fully respects all its legal and regulatory obligations while advocating for the current framework to be more efficient and respectful of the needs, objectives and resources of cultural and religious communities. Justice and Law Enforcement: Canada should pursue a comprehensive, accountable approach to combating hate and promoting inclusion by strengthening legal tools, enforcement capacity, and public institutions. This includes modernizing human rights and criminal frameworks to address hate speech and antisemitism, guided by the IHRA definition; investing in anti-racism, tolerance, and genocide education initiatives; and ensuring police are properly resourced to prevent and respond to hate crimes, with clear accountability for results. Bail reform to include a reverse onus on hate related offences. International Trade: Advancing and expanding bilateral trade through the promotion, application, and potential enhancement of the Canada–Israel Free Trade Agreement, as well as fostering increased investment and academic exchanges. International Relations: Canadian diplomatic relations with Israel and the broader Middle East, including Canada’s role in the Israel–Palestinian peace process; Canadian interventions at the UN and other multilateral bodies, including sanctions regimes and related legislation; and policy toward Iran, including maintaining non-renewal of diplomatic relations alongside continued sanctions against the IRGC and senior regime figures. Immigration: Matters related to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, including visa applications and issuance; Immigration and Refugee Board policies, including refugee claims from Israel; broader Canadian immigration policy; integration and settlement of new immigrants, recognition of foreign-trained credentials and language training; and standards and requirements for refugee status, permanent residence, and citizenship

Taxation and Finance - discussing changes to charity tax laws and how these affect registered charities Support for the Charitable sector in Canada, through granting programs for the charitable sector in Canada

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - As it relates to emergency relief and humanitarian programming Women and Gender-Equality (WAGE) - Discussion on the gender-based violence (GBV) grant concerning changes to budget line items, extensions on timelines, and updating WAGE staff on the project as needed. Special Representative on Islamophobia - As it related to any suffering/issues our community is facing Global Affairs Canada: Humanitarian assistance and Development grants, women and security policies and programs, humanitarian access policies as it relates to NGO operations Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, Public Safety, and Justice as it relates to international development, specifically looking at legislation and policies relating to humanitarian access and humanitarian work (For example, Canada's criminal code and sanctions regime) Canada Revenue Agency Rules and Regulations as it pertains to auditing charities

Discuss CRA tax policy specific to charitable status designation.

Canada Health Act - enforcing against Ontario and other provinces that do not fully fund abortions outside hospitals, and ensuring equitable access to abortion in every region of Canada. Policies or Program: Stopping federal government funding of anti-choice groups, including through job programs and their charitable tax status. Lobbying against any private member bill or motion that could impact reproductive rights or access. Access to abortion services, with respect to improving them and removing political and other barriers, especially in undeserved areas.

Ensure that digital gaming platforms are regulated as online services under Bill C-34. Application of the Museums Act regarding ministerial oversight of federally funded national museums. Conduct a national review of organizations, networks, and entities that promote, finance, facilitate, or legitimize extremist ideologies Withhold Federal funding from universities and publicly funded institutions which neither protect Jewish students nor enforce policies against harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and hate. Strengthen immigration screening and enforcement to ensure newcomers embrace the democratic values, pluralism, equality, and rule of law that define Canada. Use every available legal mechanism to investigate, prosecute, remove, or deport non-citizens who support terrorism, engage in hate-motivated criminality, incite violence, or threaten public safety. The creation of legislation that will impose a duty to report on AI generators to report when certain user and AI behavior thresholds are crossed. The creation of legislation that will require AI generators to identify AI generative content with watermarks to easily identify human-generated content from synthetic content generated by AI. That the Government of Canada develop and fund a coordinated national youth digital literacy program focused on online harms That the Government of Canada provide permanent and ongoing funding to the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and the Prevention of Violence within Public Safety Canada. Concerns regarding alleged misuse of the CRA charitable complaints process targeting Jewish educational institutions and camps, and application of neutral and consistent enforcement of charitable compliance laws. Assessment of foreign nationals scheduled to speak in Canada and application of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act regarding admissibility and public safety. The Prime Minister must address the nation immediately, acknowledge the crisis of antisemitism, and outline concrete actions to ensure the safety of Jewish Canadians, defend Canadian values, and confront rising extremism threatening the country’s social fabric. Deploy national security resources to protect Jewish institutions. Treat attacks on Jewish institutions as acts of domestic terrorism. That the Government of Canada formally recognize the national crisis of antisemitism by establishing a national antisemitism emergency task force. That the new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion recognize that Jewish Canadians remain the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes in Canada and ensure this reality informs both its composition and priorities, that individuals tasked with addressing antisemitism reflect the broadly accepted understanding of antisemitism within the Jewish community in Canada, and that support for the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism serve as a foundational element guiding the Council’s work. Establish a Royal Commission on Antisemitism in Canada That Canada takes tangible steps to actuate on the commitments made with regards to social media and online harms in the 2025 G7 Interior and Security Ministers Communiqué. Recommendations for the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places): 1. The Committee should support Section 3 and Subsection 4(2), while maintaining the requirement for Attorney General consent for private prosecutions under the Hate Propaganda provisions; 2. The Committee should reject the proposed Subsection 319(2.2) as drafted, limit it to hate symbols, remove the term “Nazi Swastika,” use the term Hakenkreuz (Hooked Cross), include the Sieg Heil salute, and create a new subsection under Section 83.18 prohibiting the public display of symbols used by listed terrorist entities; 3. The Committee should require that any codified definition of “Hatred” conforms with the Supreme Court of Canada

YMCA Canada is exploring seeking funding through the Youth Climate Corp program Discussions in regards to the ability of not-for-profits to build and maintain community infrastructure. Seeking funding through the Build Communities Strong program. Discussions in regards to the federal government providing adequate, consistent, and long-term resources to cover service providers’ operational and administrative costs, program development, and direct services to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Discussions regarding a youth mental health and program needs. Seeking funding from the Youth Mental Health Fund for a mental health and wellness program. Discussion in regards to the development and implementation of the Housing Builds including prevention strategies for homelessness, innovation, and programmatic supports. Policy proposals respecting the implementation the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) system, agreements and frameworks. Discussion in regards to accessible, affordable, inclusive, and high-quality early learning and child care and seeking funding related to the Canada-wide ELCC agreements such as infrastructure, service deliver and workforce. Discussions on financial measures, policies, programs and sectoral tables to help the the charitable sector and community service charities to adapt and modernize. Funding to support the charitable sector including service continuity and adaption, and labour shortages. Discussion in regards to the design and implementation of a strong Youth Employment and Skills Strategy with respect to program focus, and youth engagement. Seeking funding from Employment and Social Development for out-of-school programs that help youth gain new skills and succeed in their education. Discussion in regards to the legal and regulatory framework for governing charities, and grant contribution reform initiatives and ensuring that funding is allocated to these areas Discussing ways in which to financially support, but not limited to, access to recreation for children, teens, and young adults and for under-served communities, in support of healthy active living, obesity and chronic disease reduction and prevention strategies