My understanding is that in Canada, we have de-facto separation of church and state, as opposed to the United States, which has de-jure separation of church and state.
Strictly speaking, as far as I am aware, there is no governmental oversight on what constitutes a 'church' in Canada; anyone is free to believe anything they wish, pretty-much without interference or hindrance. What
is regulated is charitable status, which is granted (or withheld) by Revenue Canada. Now, it appears that there is a public good criteria which must be met in order to be granted charitable status.
The primary person responsible for the Church <spit> of Scientology not being granted charitable status is Gregg Hagglund, who has been dubbed Canada's wise beard man. With the help of other persons, Hagglund put together three 3-ring binders of materials, primarily consisting of the Co$'s
own documents, which resulted in the failure to receive their charitable, tax-exempt status. Hagglund's role is outlined in an Eye Weekly article:
http://www.eyeweekly.com/blog/post/39302
Hagglund always at the frontlines. Conspiring against Scientology for over a decade, Hagglund believes the org’s Canadian branch is nearing the end of its rope.
“With all the negative coverage they’re getting and their shrinking membership, [Scientology] is really losing ground in Canada,” says Hagglund. While the church claims to have nearly 1,000 members in Toronto, Hagglund contends that number is actually dwindling around 250. He points to the org’s old, decaying walls as a sign. “It’s like kicking a dead horse – or rather, a sick wolf. They may be down, but they still have teeth. Their international organization, especially in the US, has been going after people pretty aggressively, trying to find out who’s supposedly running Anonymous.”
Hagglund acts as a ‘sensei-figure’ to Anonymous, rallying members through various YouTube videos. He claims this has led the church to suspect him of being the group’s head conspirator. But he insists he is merely the group’s "ambassador"; he files a Notice of Demonstration with the police every time before the group pickets. Furthermore, he says it’s impossible for him to be Anonymous’ leader because they simply don’t have one. Anonymous doesn’t consider itself an organization; it operates on an “on-your-own” basis, with all decisions reached by consensus over the internet. This anarchical structure allows the group to avoid being bitten by the church’s notorious lawsuits.
Hagglund claims to have had first hand experience with Scientology’s teeth. His battle began in 1996, when he says the church sent him threatening emails after he criticized its practices on the Usenet group alt.religion.scientology. Hagglund reacted by picketing against the organization while working with others to stop its bid to get charity status in Canada.
“I put together this huge presentation for Revenue Canada, went there, presented it and they subsequently did not get charity status.” Among arguments against the organization attaining the status, he says, “they have internal documents that actually say charity is a bad thing.”
Once Scientology caught wind of this, Hagglund alleges, the fangs came out.
Here are some video from Gregg's YouTube Channel -- his handle there is TorontoSP:
Exhibit One: The Revenue Canada Brief
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_RbeNo25ww
Exhibit Two: The Picket of My Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5eSSlAeXY&
Gaijin
