Fact-finding review launched into Canadian Charities’ foreign funding

The Lawfare Project announced today the launch of a new investigation to examine whether certain Canadian charities may be directing funds to extremist or terrorist-linked organizations overseas, potentially violating Canadian law and the strict limits governing charitable status and foreign funding activities.

This initiative follows publicly reported concerns—including a 2024 Toronto Sun investigation—that identified significant irregularities in several pro-Palestinian charities’ filings with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). That reporting relied on documents from before the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel, meaning the public has not yet seen how these organizations reported their activities during or after that period. Because Canadian charities file with a substantial delay, the post–October 7 picture is still emerging and may reveal materially different patterns of conduct.

"The charitable regime exists to support genuine humanitarian work—not to provide a vehicle for funding extremism or activities that undermine Canadian law," said Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. "When earlier filings reveal serious compliance concerns, and when the subsequent period includes a major geopolitical crisis, a closer review is not only appropriate—it is necessary to protect the integrity of Canada’s charitable system. Our task is to follow the evidence where it leads. If organizations are operating properly, that clarity benefits everyone. If they are not, appropriate oversight and accountability must follow to prevent the abuse of charitable status."

The Lawfare Project stresses that the initiative does not presume wrongdoing. It is a fact-driven effort designed to promote transparency, safeguard the integrity of Canada's charitable system, and ensure that charitable privileges are not being used to facilitate extremist activity or to circumvent Canada’s counter-terrorism financing framework.