Records showed a registered charity had its members hector a newspaper editor due to their perception that the newspaper's coverage lacked sufficient support for pro-Palestine supporters.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations limit political activities done by charities that receive taxpayer support.The Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) Foundation of Montreal charity waged an email campaign targeting an Ontario daily newspaper, the Kingston Whig-Standard.Supporters were encouraged to file complaints with the editor regarding their concerns about the coverage of a local campus protest against Israel.“Media alert,” the Foundation wrote in a notice to supporters. “Draft and send your email.” The charity suggested donors “draft a response to this media coverage” but cautioned: “Do not copy and paste the material below…Put all comments in your own words.”A charity manager filed another complaint with the Whig-Standard press ombudsman, which is affiliated with the National News Media Council.The manager “took issue” with the story and claimed that the media were “erasing pro-Palestinian perspectives” from the news.The CJPME Foundation states that its charitable efforts are focused on providing water wells and agricultural equipment to Gaza.CRA rules state any charity’s political advocacy must be “connected to the charity’s stated charitable purpose” and “provide a benefit to the public.”“In this context, a charity could, for example, carry out public policy dialogue to relieve poverty by contributing to the development of government policies in matters relating to poverty relief,” says a 2020 CRA guide Public Policy Dialogue and Development Activities by Charities.“To be eligible for registration, the Income Tax Act requires a charity to be constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes and all the charity’s resources must be devoted to charitable activities carried on by the charity itself,” said Policy Dialogue. “Charitable activities include public policy dialogue and development activities that further a charitable purpose.”Records show the Whig-Standard last May 12 published an online article headlined, “Vigil Marks 75th Anniversary Of Palestinian Expulsion.” The noun “expulsion” was changed to “displacement” following complaints.The Whig-Standard said it opted for “more neutral language.” The News Media Council received “multiple complaints” from various readers before the Whig-Standard deleted the story. “The purpose of the news brief was to publicize a local event and given that the event had already passed, and recognizing no side would be satisfied with further changes, the brief was removed from the website,” editors told the Media Council.The Council complaint was filed by the CJPME Foundation’s operations manager, Tayla Shair, a Concordia University graduate “of Jordanian-Palestinian background focused on topics of imperialism,” according to the Foundation. Shair “filed a complaint with the News Media Council stating concerns with changes and subsequent removal of the article,” wrote the Council.“The complainant took issue with the initial update to the piece, which she alleged removed necessary context about the meaning of the word ‘nakba’ translated as ‘catastrophe’ in reference to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948 as well as statements about the current conditions of Palestinian refugees,” wrote the Council.
Records showed a registered charity had its members hector a newspaper editor due to their perception that the newspaper's coverage lacked sufficient support for pro-Palestine supporters.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations limit political activities done by charities that receive taxpayer support.The Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) Foundation of Montreal charity waged an email campaign targeting an Ontario daily newspaper, the Kingston Whig-Standard.Supporters were encouraged to file complaints with the editor regarding their concerns about the coverage of a local campus protest against Israel.“Media alert,” the Foundation wrote in a notice to supporters. “Draft and send your email.” The charity suggested donors “draft a response to this media coverage” but cautioned: “Do not copy and paste the material below…Put all comments in your own words.”A charity manager filed another complaint with the Whig-Standard press ombudsman, which is affiliated with the National News Media Council.The manager “took issue” with the story and claimed that the media were “erasing pro-Palestinian perspectives” from the news.The CJPME Foundation states that its charitable efforts are focused on providing water wells and agricultural equipment to Gaza.CRA rules state any charity’s political advocacy must be “connected to the charity’s stated charitable purpose” and “provide a benefit to the public.”“In this context, a charity could, for example, carry out public policy dialogue to relieve poverty by contributing to the development of government policies in matters relating to poverty relief,” says a 2020 CRA guide Public Policy Dialogue and Development Activities by Charities.“To be eligible for registration, the Income Tax Act requires a charity to be constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes and all the charity’s resources must be devoted to charitable activities carried on by the charity itself,” said Policy Dialogue. “Charitable activities include public policy dialogue and development activities that further a charitable purpose.”Records show the Whig-Standard last May 12 published an online article headlined, “Vigil Marks 75th Anniversary Of Palestinian Expulsion.” The noun “expulsion” was changed to “displacement” following complaints.The Whig-Standard said it opted for “more neutral language.” The News Media Council received “multiple complaints” from various readers before the Whig-Standard deleted the story. “The purpose of the news brief was to publicize a local event and given that the event had already passed, and recognizing no side would be satisfied with further changes, the brief was removed from the website,” editors told the Media Council.The Council complaint was filed by the CJPME Foundation’s operations manager, Tayla Shair, a Concordia University graduate “of Jordanian-Palestinian background focused on topics of imperialism,” according to the Foundation. Shair “filed a complaint with the News Media Council stating concerns with changes and subsequent removal of the article,” wrote the Council.“The complainant took issue with the initial update to the piece, which she alleged removed necessary context about the meaning of the word ‘nakba’ translated as ‘catastrophe’ in reference to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948 as well as statements about the current conditions of Palestinian refugees,” wrote the Council.
