By Canadian Press

Sovereignty think-tank to appeal CRA ruling denying it charitable status

Jun 28, 2018 | 3:30 PM

MONTREAL — Former Parti Quebecois leader Pierre Karl Peladeau said Thursday he’ll appeal a decision by the Canada Revenue Agency to deny charitable status to the sovereigntist think-tank he founded.

Peladeau and the organization’s president, Daniel Turp, accused the federal agency of discriminating against the institute based on politics.

In a news conference, Peladeau noted that the Federal Idea, a Quebec-based think-tank on federalism, has links with the Liberal party yet had no trouble obtaining charitable status.

“Why should we be treated differently than what (Federal Idea) is all about? And I think the answer is loud and clear: this agency is getting political,” he said.

“I think it’s not appropriate in a 21st century democracy.”

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The CRA refused the sovereignty institute’s request in May, denying it the opportunity to issue tax receipts in exchange for donations.

Peladeau’s lawyer said the think-tank will file appeals to both the CRA and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Peladeau created the institute on Quebec sovereignty in 2016, promising it would produce studies on the topic but remain independent from the PQ.

The organization’s lawyer, Jessica Gaumond, argued the think-tank is a serious and impartial body with policies in place to guarantee the independence of its academic researchers.

“There is no sorting; there is no choice,” she said at the news conference.

“There is research that is done by a researcher on a reasoned structure and there will be no choice — it will be published whether it is for independence, against independence, for self-determination, whether it is on an African people, the people of Quebec, no matter, it will be published in its entirety.”

Turp, a former Bloc Quebecois MP, said the institute was not focused on promoting Quebec independence.

As proof, he noted the group’s first expert report was about Catalonia, not Quebec, and was presented in Barcelona. 

Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press