From: AlanBaggett@volcanomail.com   
      
   Canada Revenue Agency has no evidence to show its organized crime plan is   
   working : CRA SOTW    
      
   By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 24, 2013 3:11 PM   
      
   OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency says it has increased staff in a new unit   
   to investigate charities – from 19 to 31 full-time equivalent workers for the   
   current year.   
      
   But as it adds staff to increase surveillance of charities in the midst of   
   overall cuts related to federal efforts to slash the deficit, the agency   
   hasn’t been able to provide evidence that its strategies are working.   
      
   A federal spokesman said it increased overall resources to crack down on   
   illegal activities, but it had no statistics to support its claims about   
   improving measures to fight organized crime.   
      
   The questions were raised in recent weeks, following revelations that a   
   special organized crime unit — previously known as the “Special Enforcement   
   Program” — was disbanded, having its role integrated into other audit programs.   
      
   “The audit programs in question have a much larger resource base from which to   
   draw on to address those who attempt to gain financially from illegal   
   activities,” said Noel Carisse, an assistant director of communications at the   
   agency in an email to    
   Postmedia News. “As a result, the agency’s overall capacity to address the   
   workload previously done in the SEP has increased. Given that the   
   re-organization of the SEP is fairly recent, there are no statistics or   
   results available at this time.”   
      
   The comments came in the midst of an internal investigation into a mysterious   
   $400,000 cheque from the agency in September 2007 to a reputed Montreal mafia   
   leader that was retrieved and cancelled by a member of the team that wound up   
   eliminated.   
      
   The agency has predicted it will eliminate 3,000 jobs over the next three   
   years, down from an estimated 41,144 full-time equivalent workers in 2012-13.   
      
   But the agency said it would be “misleading” to compare its resources of a new   
   “Criminal Investigations Directorate” – which has the equivalent of about 500   
   full-time workers to a previously existing enforcement division that had about   
   762 full-time    
   workers, since it split off some of those roles into other parts of the agency.   
      
   “Our criminal investigation resources are also strengthened as a result of   
   this change, as the investigators will be completely focused on the criminal   
   element of non-compliance since the civil component will be addressed by our   
   audit program,” said    
   Carisse.   
      
   As it was cutting budgets throughout its operations, the agency launched an $8   
   million investment over two years announced in the 2012 federal budget, which   
   was meant to crack down on charities engaging in excessive political activity.   
   But this also hasn’   
   t resulted in any statistical success, apart from one organization, Physicians   
   for Global Survival, which lost its charitable status.   
      
   The new resources from the charities division are also being used to require   
   organizations to produce more reports about their activities that allow the   
   government to collect details about their campaigns on the Internet,   
   advertising and protests.   
      
   Organizations that are granted charitable status by the federal government are   
   allowed to issue tax receipts to donors, but must also ensure that they limit   
   political activity to less than 10 per cent of their operations in order to   
   remain in good    
   standing.   
      
   The Harper government launched its crackdown on the charities following   
   complaints advanced by oil, gas and pipeline company lobbyists and supporters   
   that claimed environmental groups were using foreign funding as part of a   
   conspiracy to shut down the    
   Canadian economy’s energy industry.   
      
   Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay defended the crackdown on charities in   
   October, telling Postmedia News that it wasn’t “about the numbers,” but rather   
   about “who’s complying and who isn’t” with Canada’s tax laws.   
      
   Opposition New Democrats and Liberals have described the plan as a partisan   
   witch hunt to target environmental groups who disagree with Prime Minister   
   Stephen Harper’s economic policies and keep them tied up with excessive   
   paperwork and reports.   
   © Copyright (c) Postmedia News   
      
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