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Nick Ansell

Oxfam in Canada was told that it isn't allowed prevent poverty anymore

The Canadian revenue authority say that doing so would benefit people who are not already poor.

ONE OF THE world’s best-known charities has been told to stop trying to achieve one of its aims – preventing poverty.

Oxfam has been told by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that it can no longer try to prevent poverty – because doing so would benefit people who are not already poor.

The argument comes after Oxfam filed for a renewal of its not profit status. In their submission to Industry Canada, the body which oversees the non-profit sector, Oxfam said that their purpose was to “to prevent and relieve poverty, vulnerability and suffering by improving the conditions of individuals whose lives, livelihood, security or well-being are at risk.”

Once the mission statement was signed off with Industry Canada, it had to be cleared with the charities board of CRA.

Agency officials then told Oxfam that preventing poverty, as opposed to helping those already in poverty, was not an acceptable goal for a charity to have.

“Relieving poverty is charitable, preventing it is not.

“Preventing poverty could mean providing for a class of beneficiaries that are not poor.”

Oxfam

The charity spends around $CA32 million a year on work in Africa, Asia and South America and their executive director Robert Fox said the whole conversation was “absurd”.

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A spokesperson for Oxfam Canada told TheJournal.ie that they continue to work to eliminate poverty.

“First of all, let me reassure the public that Oxfam Canada continues to be a registered charity in full compliance with all laws and regulations. All eligible donations (including the many new ones that came in today) will receive the usual tax-deductible receipts. And those funds will continue to be applied to the important work that Oxfam does around the world.

“Indeed, earlier today we transferred $100,000 of donated funds to the Oxfam program in Syria where we continue to provide life-saving humanitarian supplies to tens of thousands of refugees.

“Secondly, it is important to note that after receiving the request to modify our statement of objects, Oxfam Canada complied with that request.

“When it comes to the elimination of poverty, Oxfam believes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But the CRA legislation speaks only of “poverty relief” and we have adapted our objects as per the CRA interpretation.

“Thirdly, a number of other Canadian NGOs have been notified that they are to undergo audits of their political activities. Despite the reports of some media sources, Oxfam is not one of those NGOs. Oxfam Canada reports fully on our political activities every year to CRA as required, and we believe we are in full compliance with the related rules and regulations.”

A spokesperson for the CRA told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that legal precedent disbarred charities from helping those who were not already poor.

“Purposes that relieve poverty are charitable because they provide relief only to eligible beneficiaries, those in need.

“However, the courts have not found the risk of poverty as being equivalent to actually being in need. Therefore, as the courts have indicated, an organization cannot be registered with the explicit purpose of preventing poverty.”

Oxfam has a history of run-ins with Canada’s conservative government. Earlier this year, Employment Minister criticised the group for their opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Last year, Oxfam co-signed a letter criticising Prime Minister Stephen Harper after reports that government officials had made “enemies lists” for new ministers after a reshuffle.

They say that despite having to drop the wording from their mission statement, Oxfam is still committed to their work.

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12 Comments
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    Mute ☘
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:46 AM

    people can move all around ireland with guns and drugs and i bet if i drove one day without road tax i would be in court,

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    Mute Ed Collins
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:50 AM

    @☘: and rightly so

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:01 AM

    @Ed Collins: who is giving you thumbs up , have you 17 accounts? people really believe it should be easier move around Ireland with guns than a dodgy tax disc. No wonder we’re screwed

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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:03 AM

    @The long walk home☘️: no one said that though??

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:08 AM

    @Ed Collins: shows where your priorities lie. We have a traffic corpin Ireland with poor resources to serious crime all the way up to the prison service & road tax is yours and the government’s priority. Orwell described you well. No louder voice to be heard defending an oppressor than that of the oppressed. It’s people like you who have the country and its people on it’s knees.

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:19 AM

    @STOIC SAVAGE: that was his point or did it go way over your head?

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @☘: In fairness, it’s far easier to spot an untaxed car than it is to spot a car carrying guns or drugs. And just as an aside, if you end up in court for driving an untaxed car, it means your tax has been out of date for a hell of a lot longer than one day. You have one month from expiry date of your motor tax to get it renewed. Its written on your renewal notice. Go into a second month untaxed and you pay a penalty when you finally do tax it, and you may get an on the spot fine. 3rd month you’d certainly get a fine and theres a risk the car could be impounded. Purely anecdotal, but from what I’ve seen/heard you’d really need to be taking the mick to end up in court for non-payment of motor tax alone, ie, expired for a year or more.

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    Mute Jesse James
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:59 AM

    @Mjhint: We don’t have Traffic Gardai in Ireland. They are regular Gardai in cars marked Roads Policing.

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    Mute Paul
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:33 AM

    @Jesse James: incorrect. We have a dedicated Roads Policing Unit, they are appointed to those units and are no longer on the regular units.

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    Mute my name
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:36 AM
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    Mute STOIC SAVAGE
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:59 AM

    @The long walk home☘️: nah…. His point was both are illegal and rightly punishable by law… Think it was your head it went over pal

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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Aug 28th 2019, 12:12 PM

    @☘: they dont drive around with guns taped to the windscreen theyre a bit harder to spot than the lack of a tax disc

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    Mute The long walk home☘️
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    Aug 28th 2019, 9:54 AM

    life should mean life, some of these people are out after 11 years still young men.

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    Mute MickN
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:12 AM

    Another week another tragedy in Louth.. For the size of the county its never out of the news…

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    Mute Conor V
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    Aug 28th 2019, 10:39 AM

    @MickN: it’s a bid County :)

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    Mute Leo Lalor
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:46 AM

    How long is this feud going on. Like the kinehan hutch feud and it appears all the gardai are capable of is hiding on motorways catching you at 125 kph. Traffic corps are a waste of resource for the public. Fianna Gael love them . Revenue collection

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    Mute Michael Kavanagh
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:58 AM

    @Leo Lalor:
    The auld penalty points mounting up, are they? Try a simple solution – obey the rules of the road- it works!

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    Mute John Joe & Bridie
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    Aug 28th 2019, 11:58 AM

    @Leo Lalor: Yawn

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    Mute Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh
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    Aug 28th 2019, 12:54 PM

    @Leo Lalor: A good few of the Hutch/ Kinehan murders have been solved but don’t let that stop your bit of Garda bashing.

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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:37 PM

    @Leo Lalor: I’m sure more people die on the roads each year then to gangland violance. Maybe I’m wrong.

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    Mute Think Before You Buy
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:06 PM

    The violence, not just in Louth, but across the country is directly related to the vast amount of money generated through using drugs for recreational purposes. It is for control of the area in which this money is spent that these gangs are fighting to control. Remember it always harms someone THINK BEFORE YOU BUY http://www.thinkbeforeyoubuy.ie

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    Mute aYoungRory
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    Aug 28th 2019, 2:04 PM

    I’m calling for a head banger hunger games this year.
    Let every wannabe lunatic in Ireland meet up in Longford on December 8th when it’s empty for Culchie Christmas…. No holds barred, no innocents hurt and less than 2k damage done. We can hold a mass funeral at 12 midnight for the fallen and crown the last standing survivor ‘Hardest Man in Ireland’.

    Danny Dyer can present the trophy to him moments before we fire both men into the surface of the moon.

    Then we take the homes of the losers and redistribute them to the homeless.

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    Mute Maciej Zadorozny
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    Aug 28th 2019, 1:18 PM
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