October 3, 2025

The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) welcomes the release of the NSIRA report, which affirms what we and many others have long raised regarding the CRA’s Review and Analysis Division (RAD) audits of Muslim-led charities. For years, Muslim charities have expressed concern that they were disproportionately targeted and subjected to processes that were unfair and harmful.

This has been a long road. In 2015, MAC underwent a RAD audit that lasted more than seven years. When the CRA issued its preliminary findings, MAC launched a Charter challenge before the Ontario Superior Court, arguing that the process was tainted by bias and Islamophobia. Justice Koehnen agreed that the audit reflected overreach and confirmed that our case had merit, though it was dismissed on a technicality. Ultimately, the CRA walked back many of its preliminary findings, including all of its Islamophobic allegations.

The NSIRA report now reaffirms those concerns and provides independent validation of what our community has been saying:

·         Some audits were launched without credible evidence and based on outdated or unsubstantiated claims.

·         Broad criteria, such as “high-risk jurisdictions,” disproportionately affected Muslim charities.

·         Even the CRA’s own internal reviews acknowledged that some audits should never have occurred.

·         These processes risked breaching Charter protections against discrimination.

The NSIRA report found that the CRA’s audit process risked breaching Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms — exactly what MAC argued in court. Justice Koehnen also said  “the process that had been completed struck me as being characterized by overreach on the part of CRA…On the case as it was argued before me, the applicant’s position had merit and, in the absence of the prematurity principle, would probably have been successful.”

For MAC and for the community, this report offers important closure. It confirms that our advocacy was necessary and that the challenges we faced were real. Most importantly, it opens the door for meaningful reform.

We believe this report must mark a turning point. The CRA and the Government of Canada should now work in partnership with Muslim communities to ensure audits are fair, transparent, and accountable, and that they strengthen rather than stigmatize charities. MAC acknowledges the work of NSIRA and views this report as a positive and constructive step toward building processes that are just, balanced, and supportive of the charitable sector.