News

Mr. Trump: Canada’s Crackdown on Christianity Must End Before Trade Begins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, June 11, 2025 — In light of escalating attacks by the Canadian federal government against pro-life and religious groups, including churches, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) will hold a press conference outside the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa this Thursday to call on the Trump administration to intervene on their behalf during the upcoming G7 Summit in Alberta.

Press Conference Details:
WHEN: Thursday, June 12, 2025 | 10:00 AM local time

WHERE: U.S. Embassy, 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON

WHAT: Press Conference & Petition Reveal

VISUALS: Public petition signed by more than 20,000 Canadians; delivery to Prime Minister’s Office to follow. A letter to U.S. President Donald Trump will be read by CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson and delivered to the U.S. Embassy.

Background:
As Canada continues an ongoing trade war with the United States, a different kind of war is being waged on home soil by the Canadian federal Government against its citizens: Religious freedom and freedom of speech are under direct attack.

Last December, an all-party Finance Committee tabled a report in Parliament with recommendations for the Federal Government to implement in the 2025 federal budget.

Two recommendations struck fear into the hearts of religious and pro-life citizens across the country:

1. Strip pro-life organizations of charitable status (Recommendation 429), and
2. Remove “advancement of religion” as a recognized charitable purpose under the Income Tax Act (Recommendation 430).

These measures, if adopted in the forthcoming budget, would undermine the legal standing and financial viability of churches, Christian charities, and pro-life organizations across Canada.

In contrast, the Trump administration’s stated foreign policy is to prioritize negotiations with countries that protect religious freedom and free speech. As President Trump prepares to visit Canada for the G7 meeting in Alberta this weekend, Campaign Life Coalition is calling on the U.S. administration to use its diplomatic leverage to speak out against this clear and present danger to the survival of faith-based and pro-life Canadian charitable institutions.

Following the press conference, a petition signed by over 20,000 Canadians will be delivered to Prime Minister Mark Carney. It demands that he immediately and unequivocally retract these proposals and defend the right of pro-life and religious organizations to exist without government interference.

Campaign Life Coalition rises with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo, interdenominational faith leaders, and pro-life leaders in defence of freedoms that our Charter of Rights and Freedoms calls “fundamental”: Freedom of religion and freedom of expression.

Resources:
House of Commons: PRE-BUDGET CONSULTATIONS IN ADVANCE OF THE 2025 BUDGET: Report of the Standing Committee on Finance

Government of Canada: Revocation tax

Western Standard: BAKLINSKI: Faith under fire... what it would mean if Ottawa ended religious charitable tax exemption

National Post: Raymond J. de Souza: Proposal to strip religious groups of charitable tax status would eviscerate Canada’s charities

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: Important Concerns Regarding Recommendations 429 and 430 on Charitable Status

Frank Cardinal Leo, Archdiocese of Toronto: Regarding the recent Finance Committee’s pre-budget report

Evangelical Fellowship of Canada: Finance Committee's troubling recommendations on charitable status

Christian Legal Fellowship: Pre-Budget Recommendations impacting religious charities

Catholic Civil Rights League: CCRL Call to Action: Defend Charitable Status for Religious Organizations