Think-tank’s research ‘bias’ prompted audit by taxman
A left-leaning think-tank was targeted by the Canada Revenue Agency for a political-activities audit last fall partly because the research and education material on its website appears to be “biased” and “one-sided.”
That partial rationale for launching the controversial audit appears on a newly released document that the think-tank, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, obtained under the Access to Information Act. The one-page summary sheet includes a section entitled “Screeners’ comments” that outlines why the group was selected to undergo an audit of its political activities.
The section refers to two previous audits, in 1989-90 and 2002, where the tax agency says it first raised questions about the group’s political activities.
The Centre is an avowedly leftleaning think-tank that first won charitable status in 1987.
It has become a fixture on the federal scene, known in particular for its so-called Alternative Federal Budget each year. Its positions often conflict with Harper government policies. The centre is one of 52 charities to undergo audits of their political activities, in a $13.4-million program launched in the 2012 federal budget.
Auditors are looking for any evidence of partisan activity, such as endorsements of political candidates, which is forbidden, as well as any violation of a rule that limits political activity to no more than 10 per cent of a charity’s resources.
Initial targets were environmental groups, many of whom oppose the government’s energy and pipeline policies. But the net was later widened to include international aid and social-justice groups, among others, many of whom have been vocal opponents of the Conservative government.
Some observers have said the new audit program has led to “advocacy chill,” as charities fear speaking out lest they provoke auditors into de-registering them, potentially drying up donations.
“Under this definition, all thinktanks are biased or one-sided, and would not qualify for charitable status,” said Bruce Campbell, ex- ecutive director of the Centre since 1994. “The work of all think-tanks emanates from a set of values, progressive or conservative, that guide our research and policy analysis, and as such is biased.”
A spokesman for the Canada Revenue Agency, Noel Carisse, declined to comment on the audit.
Among right-leaning or probusiness think-tanks, the C.D. Howe Institute in Toronto and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa have confirmed they are not currently under audit for political activities. The Fraser Institute in Vancouver and the Montreal Economic Institute have declined to comment on the matter.