Ottawa: Just Peace Advocates, a Canada-based independent human rights organisation, has filed a formal complaint with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) urging it to examine the charitable status of 21 registered Canadian charities over their alleged ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation based in India.
The charities named in the complaint include the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Canada, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of Canada, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Ontario, and Sewa Canada International Aid Inc. Drawing on data from Sciences Po’s Center for International Research, the complaint identifies approximately $46 million moving between RSS-affiliated organisations within Canada. A further $21.5 million was sent from those organisations to RSS-linked groups abroad.
At the heart of the complaint is a question of legal eligibility. Canadian charity law requires that a registered charity deliver a clear public benefit. Purposes that discriminate on religious grounds or run contrary to public policy do not qualify. Just Peace Advocates argues that organisations advancing an ideology built on the subordination of non-Hindu minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and Adivasis, cannot meet that standard regardless of their spending records.
The complaint was filed as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Canada, where he was expected to meet donors tied to the organisation’s transnational fundraising network. Earlier, over 40 Canadian civil society and community organisations had written to Minister Anandasangaree calling on him to bar Bhagwat from entering the country. Thousands of individual letters were also submitted.
Founded in 1925, the RSS is described by the complaint as a century-old paramilitary organisation and the ideological parent of a vast network of groups collectively known as the Sangh Parivar. This network includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has governed India since 2014.
Just Peace Advocates says it identified 11 RSS-affiliated organisations connected to the 21 registered charities. Four are classified as core-Sangh organisations, three as Sangh-embedded, and four as Sangh allies. Many affiliated non-profits are not required to disclose financial records, raising concerns about transparency.
The organisation has asked the CRA to revoke the charitable status of RSS-affiliated groups if investigations confirm violations, including failure to devote resources to charitable activities, support of non-qualified donors, and inaccurate tax filings.
