Canada’s oldest Jewish charity, the Jewish National Fund of Canada, is downplaying news that it was audited by Canadian tax authorities for using donor money to fund projects linked to the IDF.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Jan. 4 that the audit was carried out by the Canada Revenue Agency as the result of a complaint filed in the fall of 2017 by Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJVC).
The complaint referred to dozens of JNF Canada projects linked to the IDF, including infrastructure projects on Israeli military bases in Haifa and the Negev.
Canadian tax rules prohibit Canadian charities from funding the armed forces of another country.
IJVC previously has tried to have JNF Canada’s charitable status revoked and supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign against Israel.
JNF Canada informed donors last year of the Canada Revenue Agency audit and said that it stopped funding IDF-linked projects in 2016.
“To be clear, we no longer fund projects located on IDF land,” JNF Canada CEO Lance Davis said. He called the complaint a “rehash.”
It remained unclear what sanctions if any JNF Canada might face in the wake of the audit.
While the revenue agency revoked the charitable status of a mosque last August for promoting hate, Canadian governments have long supported JNF Canada. In 2013, its Negev Dinner honoured former prime minister Stephen Harper.
According to the website charityintelligence.ca, JNF Canada raised $9.5 million in 2017.
