Dear AFP Greater Vancouver Members,
Your Government Relations Committee is pleased to share with you an update about recent advocacy work on behalf of the membership base.
In January 2024, the Chair of the Government Relations Committee and the CEO of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Malcolm Berry, met with members of the Pacific Caucus of the Liberal Party of Canada to discuss several issues related to the Non-Profit Sector. This included an emphasis on the unintended consequences of enacting the proposed changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax and a longstanding policy point for AFP – the creation of a dedicated secretariat for our sector.
AFP Canada recently submitted on behalf of all members a Written Submission for the Federal Government’s Pre-Budget Consultation 2024 with the following recommendations:
- Removal of the proposed changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax outlined in the 2023 Federal Budget.
- Creation of a permanent, adequately funded, dedicated federal secretariat for the charitable sector in Canada.
The ask now is twofold for all members to reach out to their respective Members of Parliament for a chat and to share stories about the impacts that the uncertainty regarding the proposed changes to AMT is having on your organization.
This work is not happening in isolation and is seeing many groups across the sector participating, including Imagine Canada, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and others.
If you need resources or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Government Relations Chair, Neil McEachern.
Closer to home, we welcomed for the second year in a row, the province’s Parliamentary Secretary – Megan Dykeman – to National Philanthropy Day in November. She remains very interested in connecting with our sector and was proud to announce the province’s continued commitment to the sector through the Community Prosperity Fund. This year we hope to once again host Ms. Dykeman at a community roundtable, so please stay tuned for that.